London, UK, 28 February 2011. A consensus published this month in Diabetic Medicine aims to help people with diabetes who are presently at low-risk of foot complications to undertake a basic foot care regimen in order to reduce their likelihood of developing serious foot complications in the future. The consensus was developed by ten UK based global thought leaders to provide a practical educational framework for all healthcare professionals managing patients with diabetes.
Information about foot health and foot self-care for people with diabetes who are at low-risk of diabetes-related foot complications is currently very limited. In response the consensus recommends the implementation of a four step ‘CARE’ programme to improve the management of foot health:
• Control: maintaining good blood glucose levels (in accordance with recommendations from the healthcare professional)
• Annual: attending an annual foot screening examination with healthcare professionals
• Report: reporting any changes in sensation, skin colour, breaks in the skin, swelling or pain immediately to healthcare professionals
• Engage: undertaking a simple daily foot care routine by washing and drying between the toes, moisturising and checking for abnormalities
“The consensus should become a guide for healthcare professionals to help communicate the importance of basic foot self-care to all people with diabetes, particularly those currently at low-risk of foot complications.” comments consensus author Alistair McInnes, University of Brighton, UK. “Basic foot care is simple, quick and empowers the patient to manage their foot health more proactively, and can help reduce the likelihood of complications later on.”
“This consensus will help patients and healthcare professionals to ensure good quality care” comments Dr Karel Bakker chair of the IDF (International Diabetes federation) Diabetic Foot Programme, and a leading expert on diabetic foot health. “This simple four-step process will help clinicians ensure that people with diabetes undertake regular foot health checks and foot self-care, which is important to help prevent serious foot complications.”
Healthcare professionals need guidance on how best to educate and support people with diabetes to undertake foot self-care, and it is important that people with diabetes are able to manage their foot health from an early stage to reduce the risk of foot complications in the future. People with diabetes presently in this low-risk group can develop serious foot complications relatively quickly in the absence of good glycaemic control and regular foot self-care, which can facilitate the prompt identification of changes in the feet. Diabetes can lead to the feet becoming prone to complications and at risk of ulceration as a result of peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage) and circulatory problems.
Foot complications have a significant impact on healthcare systems across the world and are responsible for more hospital bed days than all the other diabetic complications combined.1 In the UK alone, the cost of foot disease is estimated to be 20% of the total cost of managing diabetes, and may exceed £1 billion each year.2 Each week around one hundred people lose a leg because of diabetes.2
Notes to editor:
The Scholl ‘Think Feet’ programme has been developed to raise awareness and improve education regarding preventative foot care. Scholl is actively working in association with people with diabetes, health professionals, key opinion leaders and diabetes and podiatry associations in the development of education materials to improve preventative foot care and to support people in managing their foot health.
For further information please contact:
James Humphreys
james.humphreys@90ten.co.uk
020 7627 0990 Tarnia Ross
tarnia.ross@90ten.co.uk.
020 7627 0990
References:
1. Joseph WS, Lipsky BA. Medical therapy of diabetic foot infections. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 2010;100(5):395-400.
2. NHS Diabetes. Putting Feet First - and Fast: Commissioning Specialist Services for the Management and Prevention of Foot Disease in Hospitals: Feb 2010. Available from
http://www.diabetes.nhs.uk/document.php?o=1063Click to expand...