Knowledge Regarding Diabetic Retinopathy in General Practitioners, Interns and Residents

Purpose: To ascertain the awareness level and basic understanding of DR in various health care providers Method: A questionnaire was prepared and answered by 240 subjects {80 each in the groups} The answers were compared from each group and Graded into 3 groups (1st- 0 to 4 correct answers, 2nd- 5 to 7 correct answers, 3rd- 8 to 10 correct answers) and analysis was done using SPSS software. Results By comparing data among groups, it was found that Among Interns and General practitioners (GP’s), there was a statistical difference in the knowledge (P=0.023). Among Interns and Residents, no significant difference was found (P=0.453) Among Residents and GP’s, no significant difference was found (P=0.068) According to Grading, it revealed that 41.25 % of GP’s were in Grade I, 53.75 % in Grade II and 5 % in grade III. 25 % of Residents were in Grade I, 65 % in Grade II, and remaining 10 % were in Grade III. Whereas 26.5 % of internees were in Grade I, 57.5 % of Internees were in Grade II and remaining 16.25 % were in Grade III. Conclusion Our study concludes that GP’s have poorer knowledge regarding DR. In a country where GP’s are the first line of contact with patients diagnosed with Diabetes, the lack of proper attitude towards treating diabetics can be one of the barriers for proper diabetic management. It is hoped that this study will spread across a message across the medical community regarding poor knowledge of DR prevailing in health care providers and hopefully positive action is taken to change it.