Foot Care For People Research Articles

Foot care for people with diabetes

This patient-education guide has been adapted for the 5th-grade level using the Flesch-Kincaid and SMOG formulas. It may be photocopied for clinical use or adapted to meet your facility's requirements. Selected references are available upon request.

Preventative foot care in people with diabetes: Quality patient education

Foot ulceration and amputation cause extensive burden on individuals and health care systems. One of the reasons for the poor outcome of foot complications in developing countries is the lack of patient education. Due to the multi-factorial pathology of diabetic foot ulceration, the person with diabetes should receive health education which is tailored to the individual’s risk status, promote self care and address misconceptions. It is therefore recommended that providers of foot care should participate in ongoing professional education development programmes to obtain skills to assist people in adopting positive self-care behaviour.

Knowledge of foot care in people with diabetes in a tertiary care setting

Background. The objective of this study was to investigate levels of foot care knowledge among patients attending the diabetes clinic at Pretoria Academic Hospital by comparing the knowledge of patients with ‘at risk’ feet (ARF) to those with ‘normal/not at risk’ feet (NARF) and so assess whether the education effort by the clinic is effective.Methods. Patients attending the clinic completed an interviewer-assisted questionnaire with 11 questions concerning foot care knowledge. A knowledge score for each patient was calculated.Results. Possible scores ranged from 4 to 11 (maximum 11). The mean score for the ARF group was 8.9 (standard deviation (SD) 1.4) (range 4–11) compared with 8.9 (SD 1.4) for the NARF group (range 5–11) (p>0.05). The most substantial difference between the two groups was that the ARF group gave 20% more correct answers than the NARF group with regard to frequency of foot inspection (daily) (p=0.025).Conclusions. Both groups of patients had a reasonable knowledge regarding foot care. ...

Knowledge and practice of foot care in Iranian people with type 2 diabetes

The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and practice of foot care in people with type 2 diabetes. We carried out a cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was completed by 148 patients with type 2 diabetes in Tehran, Iran. Knowledge score was calculated and the current practice was determined. The mean knowledge score was 6.6 (standard deviation +/-3.0) out of a possible 16. Illiterate patients were the least knowledgeable (P= 0.008). Lack of adequate knowledge includes the following: 56% not aware of the effect of smoking on the circulation to the feet, 60% failed to inspect their feet and 42% did not know to trim their toenails. High risk practices including use of irritants to water (66.5%) and walking barefoot (62%). The results of this study highlight the patients' inadequate knowledge of self-care about their foot and lack of optimal podiatry service in Iran. These findings have implications for further evaluation, planning and management of patient care in diabetic foot disease.

Book Review: 101 Tips on Foot Care for People With Diabetes (second edition)

Book Review: 101 Tips on Foot Care for People With Diabetes (second edition)

Diabetes-Related Foot Care at 10 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers: Must Do’s Associated with Successful Microsystems

Well-coordinated interdisciplinary preventive foot care has been reported to significantly reduce diabetes-related foot ulcers, amputations, and hospitalization. However, the contribution of the specific components leading to these "successes" is not fully characterized. The microsystem conceptual framework was adapted to foot care to determine which of the microsystem success characteristics were associated with decreased major lower-limb amputation rates at 10 Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers. Two-day site visits were conducted using standardized interviews at the 10 VA medical centers. Six "must do's" for foot care in microsystems were correlated at > or = (-.30) with amputation rates: (1) addressing all foot care needs, (2) appropriate referrals, (3) ease in recruiting staff, (4) confidence in staff, (5) available stand alone specialized diabetic foot care services, and (6) providers attending diabetic foot care education in the past three years. Using multiple linear regression, the sum of these items described 59% of the variance (p = 0.006). Clinicians and managers may want to include the must-do's in system modifications to improve foot care for people with diabetes. Many of the sites displayed exemplary features in foot care, such as providing a formal orientation to the foot care clinics.

Recent advances in the diagnosis and management of diabetic neuropathy

The World Health Organisation estimated that in the year 2000, 150 million people had diabetes mellitus, and it is predicted that this number will rise to 366 million by the year 2030.[1][1] Neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes and is characterised by a progressive loss of peripheral

Knowledge and practice of foot care in people with diabetes

Aim: To determine knowledge and practice of foot care in people with diabetes. Methods: A questionnaire was completed by patients in Middlesbrough, South Tees, UK. A knowledge score was calculated and current practice determined. Practices that put patients at risk of developing foot ulcers and barriers to good practice were identified. Patients at high risk of ulceration were compared to those at low risk. Results: The mean knowledge score was 6.5 (S.D. 2.1) out of a possible 11. There was a positive correlation between the score and having received advice on foot care (6.9 versus 5.4, P=0.001). Deficiencies in knowledge included the inability to sense minor injury to the feet (47.3%), proneness to ulceration (52.4%) and effect of smoking on the circulation (44.5%). 24.6% (20.1–29.2) never visited a chiropodist, 18.5% (14.2–22.7) failed to inspect their feet and 83% (79.1–86.9) did not have their feet measured when they last purchased shoes. Practices that put patients at risk included use of direct forms of heat on the feet and walking barefoot. Barriers to practice of foot care were mainly due to co-morbidity. Those with high risk feet showed a higher (6.8) but not significant knowledge score compared to those at low risk (6.5) and their foot care practise was better. Conclusion: The results highlight areas where efforts to improve knowledge and practice may contribute to the prevention of foot ulcers and amputation.

Preventive Foot Care in People With Diabetes

A number of effective, low-cost strategies are available to identify and treat the person at risk for diabetic foot ulcers and lower-extremity amputation. These strategies must be more widely adopted by all diabetic care providers to maintain the integrity and function of the lower limb, and thus improve the quality of life for people with diabetes.

Fungal nail infections: far more than an aesthetic problem.

Onychomycosis (fungal nail infection) is common and causes considerable discomfort and pain for many otherwise health patients. However, onychomycosis is especially prevalent in some patient groups seen regularly by community nurses (e.g. the elderly and people with diabetes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or psoriasis). This article discusses the causes and types of onychomycosis, and examines in detail the various treatments available. Both the infection and its treatment can cause several clinical problems including drug interactions, difficulties with differential diagnosis and compromise of clinical outcomes. In particular, onychomycosis can undermine foot care in people with diabetes. The role of community nurses in treating and preventing onychomycosis is discussed.

Preventive Foot Care in People With Diabetes

Preventive Foot Care in People With Diabetes

Amputations and diabetes: a case-control study.

Data concerning the relative risk of amputations in diabetic patients compared with the general population are scarce. Therefore, we carried out a case control study to quantify the relationship between diabetes and amputations. In 20 hospitals in seven German cities and counties we obtained complete lists of non-traumatic lower limb amputations performed in 1990 and 1991. CONTROLS were selected from patients of the same surgical departments operated on in the same years. We drew a random sample of patients with procedures not likely to be associated with diabetes. Diabetic status was determined from patients' records in both cases and controls. We calculated age- and sex-specific and, using logistic regression, adjusted odds ratios (OR) and attributable risks. N = 2400, mean age 61.7 (SD 16.3) years. n = 729; 486 (66.7%) of them had diabetes. n = 1671; 127 (7.6%) of them had diabetes. Adjusted OR: 18.2 (confidence interval (CI) 14.2-23.6). Adjusted attributable risk among exposed (ARE): 0.95 (CI 0.93-0.96). Adjusted population attributable risk (PAR): 0.62 (CI 0.57-0.66). This study has demonstrated a strong association between the risk of amputation and diabetes. The odds ratios and attributable risks for diabetic individuals are higher in the younger than in the older age groups. Population attributable risks are great. We conclude that the reduction of amputations in the general population will be achieved by improving foot care in people with diabetes.

Changes in the care of the diabetic foot: part two

AbstractThis two‐part paper (the first part is in the previous issue of Practical Diabetes International) describes how specialised foot care for people with diabetes has developed over the ages. Until the 1980s, uncontrolled infections, ‘salami’ procedures (where patients first lose a toe, then more toes, then a foot and then a leg), major amputations and deaths were alarmingly common. The last two decades of the 20th Century saw an uspsurge in interest in the management of the diabetic foot, and the development of new treatments delivered by multidisciplinary teams led to halving of major amputations in a number of centres. New approaches included the development of modern podiatry offering preventative foot care and also debridement, antibiotics to control infections, shoes, insoles and casts to relieve abnormal mechanical forces, preventative education and surgical and radiological procedures to re‐perfuse the ischaemic limb. However, the new techniques are not universally applied and the diabetic foot remains a major public health problem. All over the world, public health systems have failed the diabetic foot and many patients have no rapid access to expert care from experienced teams. The incidence of diabetes is increasing epidemic proportions, and amputations are also on the increase. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Preventive foot care in people with diabetes.

Preventive foot care in people with diabetes.

Preventive Foot Care in People with Diabetes

Preventive Foot Care in People with Diabetes

A systematic review of foot ulcer in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. I: prevention

To evaluate the role of preventative strategies in reducing foot ulcers in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, both in the general population and those identified to be at a raised risk. A systematic review of interventions to prevent diabetic foot ulcers. Available studies are generally unsatisfactory in their ability to answer the important questions relating to prevention. However, where people with diabetes receive well-organized and regular care with rapid referral to appropriate specialist multidisciplinary teams when problems (or their precursors) occur, ulcer morbidity can be substantially reduced. Foot ulcers are common in people with diabetes and are costly in terms of both patient morbidity and the use of healthcare resources. Although it is nearly a decade since the St Vincent Declaration called for a marked reduction in morbidity to be achieved through better patient management, available evidence suggests that the process of care in Britain is still very variable in quality. Foot care for people with diabetes must be organized to provide monitoring, education and referral in a manner acceptable to patients and realistic for local healthcare providers.

Preventive foot care in people with diabetes.

A number of effective, low-cost strategies are available to identify and treat the person at risk for diabetic foot ulcers and lower-extremity amputation. These strategies must be more widely adopted by all diabetic care providers to maintain the integrity and function of the lower limb, and thus improve the quality of life for people with diabetes.

Preventive Foot Care in People With Diabetes

Preventive Foot Care in People With Diabetes