Effect of a Motivation Enhancing Program on Retinal Self-examination Among Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes Adults in Communities

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that reduces vision and can lead to vision loss. Screening for diabetic retinopathy is an important strategy for early detection and monitoring of eye complications in diabetic patients. Retinal self-examination procedures should be promoted for continued practice. This quasi-experimental research aimed to study the effects of a motivational enhancement program on self-monitoring of retinal screening for diabetic retinopathy in adults with type 2 diabetes who were unable to control their blood sugar levels in a community in Chiang Mai province. The participants were selected using simple random sampling and were composed of a control group and an experimental group (25 people each). The research instruments consisted of a motivation enhancing program on retinal self-examination for diabetic retinopathy surveillance among uncontrolled type 2 diabetes persons, developed from Roger’s Protection Motivation theory. Data were collected using a demographic data questionnaire and a self-retinal examination questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired sample t-test, and independent t-test.

The study results showed that after the intervention, the experimental group who received the motivation-enhancing program had significantly higher average retinal self-examination scores (M = 58.56, SD = 2.39) which were higher than before receiving the program (M = 27.64, SD = 4.21) (t = 31.90, p < .001) and higher than those of the control group (M = 29.20, SD = 3.26) with statistical significance (t = 37.93, p < .001).

The outcomes demonstrated that this motivation-enhancing program can be used effectively for retinal self-examination in uncontrolled type 2 diabetic people.