Knowledge, attitude and practice of diabetic retinopathy care and prevention among diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review

01/15/2021 Background: In Saudi Arabia, recent studies have reported a high prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) among diabetics in different regions of the country.

Objectives: To summarize available published studies about knowledge, attitude and practice of diabetic retinopathy (DR) care among the population of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Methods: The standard reporting guidelines outlined in PRISMA statement were followed for the preparation of this systematic review. In April 2020, a literature search in PubMed and Google scholar was conducted using the following key words; retinopathy and Saudi Arabia (knowledge or awareness or attitude or compliance). Results were screened, and relevant studies were involved in this review and synthesized narratively.

Results: 11 studies were included in this review. All studies (n=11) targeted the diabetic population. This systematic review reveals a huge variation of knowledge about diabetic retinopathy (25.2%-92%) in Saudi studies. This variation was accompanied by a negative attitude and poor compliance among patients in most studies.

Conclusion: The results of this systematic review reveal the importance of enhancing diabetic patients’ knowledge, attitude, and practice towards diabetic retinopathy in Saudi Arabia. This highlights the major role of the general physician as frontline and the role of the ophthalmologists in providing patient education to correct their misconceptions as well as the need for considering this issue in health policy and the provision of more awareness programs.