Author Interviews, Diabetes, JAMA, Primary Care / 01.02.2019
Primary Care Settings Offer Opportunity for Wider Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_47260" align="alignleft" width="106"] Dr. Gibson[/caption]
Diane M. Gibson, Ph.D.
Executive Director – New York Federal Statistical Research Data Center, Baruch RDC
Associate Professor – Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, Baruch College - CUNY
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Prior studies have found that screening for diabetic retinopathy in primary care settings using telemedicine increased screening rates among individuals with diabetes and among subgroups of individuals with diabetes who are at high risk of missing recommended eye exams. In a previous paper I looked at how often U.S. adults with diabetes visited primary care and eye care providers for recommended diabetes preventive care services using a sample from the 2007-2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. I found that while visits to eye care providers were often skipped, most adults with diabetes did visit primary care physicians. I argued that these findings suggest that screening for diabetic retinopathy in primary care settings using telemedicine has the potential to fulfill unmet needs and reach most U.S. adults with diabetes.
My brief report in JAMA Ophthalmology examines patterns of eye examination receipt and visits to primary care physicians among U.S. adults with diabetes using a sample from the 2016 National Health Interview Survey. The report pays particular attention to individuals who are at high-risk of missing recommended eye exams.
The study found that 87.7% of the sample of adults with diabetes visited a primary care physician in the past year and that, except for the uninsured subgroup, more than 78% of each high-risk subgroup visited a primary care provider in the past year.
Dr. Gibson[/caption]
Diane M. Gibson, Ph.D.
Executive Director – New York Federal Statistical Research Data Center, Baruch RDC
Associate Professor – Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, Baruch College - CUNY
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Prior studies have found that screening for diabetic retinopathy in primary care settings using telemedicine increased screening rates among individuals with diabetes and among subgroups of individuals with diabetes who are at high risk of missing recommended eye exams. In a previous paper I looked at how often U.S. adults with diabetes visited primary care and eye care providers for recommended diabetes preventive care services using a sample from the 2007-2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. I found that while visits to eye care providers were often skipped, most adults with diabetes did visit primary care physicians. I argued that these findings suggest that screening for diabetic retinopathy in primary care settings using telemedicine has the potential to fulfill unmet needs and reach most U.S. adults with diabetes.
My brief report in JAMA Ophthalmology examines patterns of eye examination receipt and visits to primary care physicians among U.S. adults with diabetes using a sample from the 2016 National Health Interview Survey. The report pays particular attention to individuals who are at high-risk of missing recommended eye exams.
The study found that 87.7% of the sample of adults with diabetes visited a primary care physician in the past year and that, except for the uninsured subgroup, more than 78% of each high-risk subgroup visited a primary care provider in the past year. 
Dawn Wiest, PhD
Director, Action Research & Evaluation
Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Understanding the role of care transitions after hospitalization in reducing avoidable readmissions, the Camden Coalition launched the 7-Day Pledge in 2014 in partnership with primary care practices in Camden, NJ to address patient and provider barriers to timely post-discharge primary care follow-up. To evaluate whether our program was associated with lower hospital readmissions, we used all-payer hospital claims data from five regional health systems. We compared readmissions for patients who had a primary care follow-up within seven days with similar patients who had a later or no follow-up using propensity score matching.
Dr. Coupet[/caption]
Edouard Coupet Jr, MD, MS
Assistant Professor
Department of Emergency Medicine
Yale School of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: For many individuals with nonfatal firearm injuries, their only point of contact with the healthcare system may be the emergency department. Both hospital-based violence intervention programs and counseling and safe firearm storage have shown promise in reducing the burden of firearm injury.
In this study, one third of individuals with firearm injuries presented to non-trauma centers. Only 1 out of 5 firearm injuries were assault injuries that led to admission to trauma centers, the population most likely to receive interventions to reduce re-injury.
Dr. Seidler[/caption]
Rachael D. Seidler, PhD
Professor, Applied Physiology & Kinesiology
University of Florida
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: There is accumulating evidence that spaceflight impacts the human brain: the brain is shifted higher within the skull and there are some regions of gray matter increases and decreases.
To date, no studies have looked at the impact of spaceflight on human brain white matter pathways. Rodents flown in space show decreased myelination of white matter pathways. Here, we analyzed brain MRI scans pre and post spaceflight to quantify fluid shifts and white matter changes.
