Barriers and enablers to the uptake of diabetic retinopathy screening at National Hospital Abuja, Nigeria: patients’ perspectives

To identify the barriers to and enablers of diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening and their predictors from the perspectives of diabetic patients at the National Hospital, Abuja. A descriptive, cross-sectional study design was adopted for this study in July 2023. A total of 200 consenting participants scheduled for DR screening were consecutively recruited and interviewed using structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. A chi-square test was used to determine the associations between barriers/enablers and the sociodemographic characteristics and clinical profiles of the participants. A logistic regression model was used to identify predictors of barriers and enablers of DR screening. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. A total of 200 participants was recruited for the study, 105(52.5%) males and 95 (47.5%) females, with a mean age of 54.83 ± 9.6 years. Referral from physician/healthcare providers (43%), self-reporting following visual problems/deterioration (37%), and counselling from healthcare providers (29%) were the main identified enablers of DR screening, while the barriers were long waiting times prior to consultation (48%) and difficulty scheduling appointments (27%). Gender, residence, duration of diabetes, and monthly income were predictors of enablers, while comorbid hypertension was associated with problems with scheduling appointments, a barrier to DR screening (p = 0.01). Measures designed to address long waiting times prior to consultation and ensure flexibility in scheduling appointments are advised to increase the coverage of DR screening services in Abuja. Future research should explore the barriers and enablers of DR screening from the providers' perspectives.