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Quality Improvement Initiative To Increase Comprehensive Eye Exams In Patients With Diabetes, Julia Khoury

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common microvascular complication associated with poorly controlled diabetes. Yet, only 60% of the diabetic population receives an annual eye examination by an eye specialist. Retinal imaging increases surveillance of retinopathy, however, it does not take the place of a comprehensive eye examination by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. The aim of this quality improvement project was to increase comprehensive eye examinations in patients with diabetes aged 18 to 75 years in a family practice that recently purchased a retinal imager. This quality improvement project occurred over a 10-week period. Project objectives included increasing comprehensive dilated eye …

Increasing The Incidence Of Referrals And Execution Of Diabetic Eye Examinations In A South Texas Primary Care Clinic, Marisa Macias

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Diabetes is a significant public health problem, decreasing quality of life, causing disability and death (CDC, 2017; Foos et al., 2015; Grover & Joshi, 2015). Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to several eye complications including retinopathy and blindness (ADA, 2013; Liu & Swearingen, 2017). As the number of people afflicted with diabetes rises, the need for diabetic eye examination screenings also increases to prevent disability, improve quality of life and prevent blindness (ADA, 2018; Fisher et al., 2016; Garber et al., 2015; Raman et al., 2016).

The purpose of this project was to increase the rate of diabetic eye examination referrals, …