Expert opinion regarding early screening, patient awareness, and telemedicine practices in Indian settings
Department of Medical Services, Micro Labs Limited, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Research Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2024, 22(02), 848–855
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjarr.2024.22.2.1408
Publication history:
Received on 31 March 2024; revised on 08 May 2024; accepted on 10 May 2024
Abstract:
Objective: To collect clinicians’ perspectives regarding the significance of early screening, patient awareness, and telemedicine practice in routine Indian settings for diabetes management.
Methodology: The study employed a 25-item questionnaire to gather insights from specialists across different Indian settings regarding their perspectives on early screening, patient awareness, and telemedicine practices among diabetologists.
Results: According to the cross-sectional survey, 59% of respondents believed that regular awareness programs were helpful in the early screening of diabetes among high-risk individuals. Meanwhile, 64% of clinicians reported that clinical-level screening was a more effective tool for early screening. Around 74% of clinicians reported that microvascular complications namely diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy, and diabetic kidney diseases should be targeted during early screening of diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) risk score was the most commonly used risk score for early diabetes screening, according to 54% of clinicians. Moreover, 67% of clinicians reported that 11 to 25% of diabetic individuals had complications of lipitension, and 64% reported that 11 to 20% of T2DM individuals had depression. Regarding telemedicine, 65% of clinicians preferred to use it occasionally. However, at an individual level, factors like cost, literacy, less familiarity with using the tool, and emotional reasons hindered the effective adoption of telemedicine, as reported by 56% of clinicians.
Conclusion: The survey highlighted the effectiveness of awareness programs and clinical-level screening for early diabetes management, emphasizing the importance of targeting microvascular complications. Increased prevalence of complications like lipitension and depression was noted in diabetic individuals. Telemedicine, though recognized as valuable, faces challenges due to individual-level factors.
Keywords:
Diabetes; T2DM; Early screening; Lipitension; Depression; Telemedicine
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