Use of eye care services among diabetic patients in urban and rural China.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the use of eye care and its predictors among diabetic patients in China.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, clinic-based study.

PARTICIPANTS

Diabetic patients 18 years of age or older were recruited consecutively from an urban tertiary and community hospitals and from a rural clinic in Guangdong, China.

METHODS

Information obtained by questionnaire and chart review included: demographic and socioeconomic status, knowledge about diabetic retinopathy (DR), and ocular and medical history.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Self-reported or chart history of an eye examination ever or within the preceding 12 months.

RESULTS

The participation rate among 889 eligible subjects was 92.7%. Among 824 participants (mean age, 62.6+/-12.9 years; 58.8% female), 550 (66.7%) had not been examined in the last year as recommended by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and 356 (43.2%) had never been examined. For the rural hospital, these figures were 81.1% and 68.7%, respectively. In regression analyses, factors associated with having an eye examination in the last year were: attendance at urban hospitals (odds ratio [OR], 3.46 [P<0.001] and 1.76 [P = 0.021] for the tertiary and community hospitals, respectively, compared with the rural clinic), higher DR knowledge score (OR, 1.24; P = 0.001), greater concern about vision loss (OR, 1.22; P = 0.007), and recommendation of regular eye examinations by the provider (OR, 2.36; P = 0.011). Predictors of ever having an eye examination were similar. Monthly income and health insurance status were not predictive of being examined.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that the low proportion of diabetic receiving recommended annual eye examinations in China may be improved through patient and physician education.