Abstract
Background. Patient education is capable of reducing the risk for diabetic foot ulcers. However, specific education on foot ulcer prevention was either included in broader programs addressing different parts of diabetes care or provided with time- and resource-consuming curricula. The aim of the study is to assess the feasibility and efficacy of a brief educational program for the prevention of diabetic foot ulcers in high-risk patients. Methods. The study was performed on type 2 diabetic patients, randomized in a 1 : 1 ratio either to intervention or to control group. The principal endpoint was the incidence of foot ulcers. The intervention was a two-hour program provided to groups of 5–7 patients, including a 30-minute face-to-face lesson on risk factors for foot ulcers, and a 90-minute interactive session with practical exercises on behaviors for reducing risk. Results. The study was prematurely terminated due to a highly significant difference in outcome between the two treatment groups. The final sample was therefore composed of 121 patients. Six patients, all in the control group, developed ulcers during the 6-month follow-up (10% versus 0%, p = 0.012). Conclusions. A brief, 2-hour, focused educational program is effective in preventing diabetic foot ulcers in high-risk patients.
Highlights
Several studies, including some randomized controlled trials [1, 2], have shown that patient education is capable of reducing the risk for diabetic foot ulcers [3]
Specific education on foot ulcer prevention is often included in broader programs addressing different parts of diabetes care [1,2,3,4,5,6], or provided with time- and resource-consuming curricula [2]
A 1-hour group educational program reduced the incidence of amputation and new ulcerations in diabetic patients with foot infection, ulceration, or prior amputation referred for podiatry or vascular surgery [11]
Summary
Several studies, including some randomized controlled trials [1, 2], have shown that patient education is capable of reducing the risk for diabetic foot ulcers [3]. A 1-hour group educational program reduced the incidence of amputation and new ulcerations in diabetic patients with foot infection, ulceration, or prior amputation referred for podiatry or vascular surgery [11]. Specific education on foot ulcer prevention was either included in broader programs addressing different parts of diabetes care or provided with time- and resourceconsuming curricula. The aim of the study is to assess the feasibility and efficacy of a brief educational program for the prevention of diabetic foot ulcers in high-risk patients. A brief, 2-hour, focused educational program is effective in preventing diabetic foot ulcers in high-risk patients
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