We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Diabetic Foot Service Facilities Help Avoid Amputations

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 04 Dec 2017
Print article
A new study suggests that providing more effective foot care services results in reduced major diabetes-related lower limb amputation incidence.

Researchers at South West Clinical Network (Bristol, United Kingdom) conducted a study to investigate the relationship between diabetes-related lower limb amputation incidence and foot care services in the Southwest region of England. The study examined ten key elements of foot care services, such as administrative support, standardized general practice foot screening, improved community podiatry staffing, hospital multidisciplinary foot clinics, effective care pathways, availability of an orthoptist and audit. Delivery of service provisions was compared to major amputation incidence in other regions.

The results revealed that initial (2013) diabetes-related major amputation incidence correlated inversely with adequate delivery of diabetes foot care services. Repeat reviews conducted in 2015 found that two or more service improvements were reported by six diabetes foot care providers, with introduction of more effective service provision resulting in significant reductions in amputation incidence. Conversely, failure to improve unsatisfactory service provision resulted in continued high amputation incidence. The study was published on October 11, 2017, in Diabetes Medicine.

“It is not possible for us to quantify the contribution of each separate service provision to reduction in major amputation incidence; however, the provision of a multidisciplinary foot clinic with less than five of the other key services was not sufficient to reduce high major amputation incidence,” concluded lead author Richard Paisey, MD, of Torbay Hospital (United Kingdom), and colleagues. “Based on these findings we strongly recommend robust commissioning to provide and coordinate ten key service provisions for diabetic foot care in all Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Diabetes patients often suffer from nerve and circulation problems in the feet, which reduce their perception of pain. The nerve pathways that ensure that weight is automatically transferred from one foot to the other during prolonged standing are disrupted, and as a result, diabetics do not notice that their toes, heels, or the balls of their feet are too heavily loaded. The foot receives no relief, and pressure sores, ulcers, and infections may go unnoticed. Serious cases may even lead to amputation.

Related Links:
South West Clinical Network
Torbay Hospital

Gold Member
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Sample-To-Answer Test
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Cartridge (CE-IVD)
Gold Member
POC Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile Prime Plus
Silver Member
Wireless Mobile ECG Recorder
NR-1207-3/NR-1207-E
New
Breast Imaging Workstation
SecurView

Print article

Channels

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: NTT and Olympus have begun the world\'s first joint demonstration experiment of a cloud endoscopy system (Photo courtesy of Olympus)

Cloud Endoscopy System Enables Real-Time Image Processing on the Cloud

Endoscopes, which are flexible tubes inserted into the body's natural openings for internal examination and biopsy collection, are becoming increasingly vital in medical diagnostics. Their minimal invasiveness... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The PATHFAST hs-cTnI-II high-sensitivity troponin assay has been developed for the PATHFAST Biomarker Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Polymedco)

POC Myocardial Infarction Test Delivers Results in 17 Minutes

Chest pain is the second leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits by adults in the United States, generating over 7 million visits annually. In the event of a suspected heart attack, physicians... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.