minews
In what has been described as “an incredible milestone for the prevention of diabetes-related eye complications”, the KeepSight eye check reminder program has registered its 400,000th participant.
Led by Diabetes Australia and Vision 2020 Australia, the KeepSight program reaches people at risk of complications from diabetes, with 42% of participants considered “high risk” and 20% classed as “higher risk”, the latter referring to people who have lived with diabetes for over 10 years.1
To administer the program, Diabetes Australia sends alerts and reminders to people with diabetes registered on the National Diabetes Services Scheme ( NDSS), which is the registry of people in Australia living with diabetes, to get their eyes checked. Complementing optometrists’ regular recall reminders, patients are referred to their original eye care provider.
SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT
Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain said registering the 400,000th person to Keepsight was a significant milestone in the fight to maintain the sight of people living with diabetes.
“KeepSight is committed to preventing diabetesrelated blindness,” Ms Cain said.
“This program is changing lives by supporting people with diabetes to proactively look after their eye health and prevent complications.
SUPPORTED BY INDUSTRY
KeepSight has widespread industry support from leading diabetes and eye health groups including Optometry Australia, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, Orthoptics Australia, Australian Diabetes Society, and the Australian Diabetes Educators Association.
The program is funded through a public-private partnership with matching funding from the Australian Government and Specsavers. Bayer, Novartis, and Mylan also provide funding towards the initiative. Oculo is the technology provider, and the Centre for Eye Research Australia leads the program evaluation.
“ People registered with KeepSight are accessing eye care in a timely and regular manner, which is great to see ”
“ KeepSight is committed to preventing diabetesrelated blindness ”
Specsavers’ Optometry Director Dr Ben Ashby said the success of KeepSight demonstrates the potential for strategic partnerships to deliver better outcomes for program participants.
“People registered with KeepSight are accessing eye care in a timely and regular manner, which is great to see,” Dr Ashby said.
“To provide that opportunity to 400,000 patients is an important milestone in the prevention of avoidable vision loss.”
According to Diabetes Australia, another reason for KeepSight’s success is that it’s ‘diabetes talking to diabetes’.
"We send recalls at six weeks after the appointment is expected and then at 10 weeks. If (the patient) hasn’t acted on the recall that’s come from optometry, then this is a different nudge from a different source designed to drive (them) to go back for an eye check,” explained John Kidd, National Manager of Customer Engagement, Diabetes Australia.
“In that reminder we’re saying, ‘this is where we understood your last eye check was, so click here to book an appointment with them, or if you’ve not had (an eye check), then you can go and find a provider on our website’.
“It’s a safety net; an additional reminder that augments the existing recall. It doesn’t replace it. Diabetes Australia is a trusted organisation for people on the NDSS and people living with diabetes, so it’s coming from a different source and it’s also coming at a considerably different time.”
REGISTER YOUR PATIENTS
Patients can register themselves for KeepSight at keepsight.org.au and can be referred by the NDSS. However, to maximise the program’s reach, health care practitioners are urged to explain the program and register patients with diabetes during or after consultations.
Practices using Oculo or the Optomate practice management system can automatically register patients for KeepSight while in the practice in a process that takes “just a minute”. More practice management systems are expected to be integrated with the KeepSight platform in the near future.