Methodology and early findings of the Diabetes Management Project: a cohort study investigating the barriers to optimal diabetes care in diabetic patients with and without diabetic retinopathy

Abstract

The Diabetes Management Project is investigating the clinical, behavioural and psychosocial barriers to optimal diabetes care in individuals with and without diabetic retinopathy. Prospective cohort. Two hundred and twenty-three and 374 patients without and with diabetic retinopathy, respectively. All individuals underwent a comprehensive dilated eye test, anthropometric measurements, blood and urine samples, and psychosocial questionnaires. Good glycaemic control was defined as glycosylated haemoglobin < 7%, good blood pressure control as systolic and diastolic values ≤130 and 80 mmHg, respectively, and good diabetes control as glycosylated haemoglobin < 7% and blood pressure values ≤130 and 80 mmHg. Four hundred and one males (65.4%) and 212 females (34.6%) aged 26-90 years (mean age ± standard deviation = 64.6 ± 11.6) were examined. The median glycosylated haemoglobin for all participants was 7.5% (interquartile range = 1.7%). Average systolic and diastolic blood pressure values were 139.7 mmHg (standard deviation = 18.8) and 92.7 mmHg (standard deviation = 30.9), respectively. Initial data analyses indicate that over two-thirds of participants with diabetes have poor glycaemic control, which was worse in those with diabetic retinopathy compared with those without (76.3% vs. 49.3%; P < 0.001). Blood pressure control was similar for those with and without diabetic retinopathy, with almost a third (28.5%) of the total sample having poor blood pressure control. Overall, those with diabetic retinopathy had poorer diabetes control than those without (24.3% vs. 13.7%; P = 0.002). Our findings substantiate the implementation of the Diabetes Management Project, developed to assess factors associated with suboptimal diabetes care.