Diabetic retinopathy screening in incident diabetes mellitus type 2 in Germany between 2004 and 2013 - A prospective cohort study based on health claims data

Abstract

Objective To assess factors associated with diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening uptake following a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes) in Germany. Materials and methods A nationally representative prospective sample of individual-level health claims data for 250,000 members from Germany’s largest public insurance provider in 2004–2013 was assessed. In the sample, 26,560 persons with incident type 2 diabetes were identified. Factors associated with subsequent DR screening were assessed using descriptive statistics, Kaplan-Meier estimator, and Cox regression analysis. Results On average 27.6 visits to an ophthalmologist per 100 person-years in persons with incident type 2 d..