Effect of the Pharmacist Intervention on Diabetic Retinopathy in the Hispanic Population

The study focuses on pharmacist intervention in the Hispanic population who currently have or are in risk of developing diabetic retinopathy (DR). The goal is to assess the intervention group which meets with primary care physician (PCP) and pharmacists vs the control group (who only meet with PCP) to determine whether collaborative care can reduce or stabilize progression of DR to nonproliferative (NPDR) or proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Patient charts were interpreted to collect information such as age, race, and gender, metabolic parameters such as A1C, LDL, HDL, blood pressure, and triglycerides, current medications, and other DR-related labs. Retinopathy ratings are recorded on a 0-3 scale where no presence of DR is rated 0, mild NPDR at 0.5, moderate NPDR at 1, severe NPDR at 2, and PDR at 3. Ultimately, after data collection and analyzation the study aims to find a correlation between pharmacist intervention in Hispanic populations with diabetic retinopathy and stabilizing the progression of DR to NPDR and PDR. The results of this study can reduce the risk and progression of DR by educating individuals to maintain healthy blood glucose levels.

Supervisor: Dr. Ashay Bhatwadekar
Department: Glick Eye Institute