Educating patients to prevent diabetic foot ulceration

[Northerner]

Review question
Can educating people with diabetes about foot care help to reduce foot ulcers and amputations?

Nursing implications
Foot ulceration is a common problem for people with diabetes, especially those with peripheral neuropathy and/orperipheral vascular disease. Individuals who develop these types of ulcers may need a total or partial amputation of the affected limb.
Foot ulcers can not only lead to physical disability and loss of quality of life for patients but also increase costs in healthcare
and affect employment. The thrust of health promotion should therefore be towards preventing foot ulcers from occurring.

A systematic review was undertaken to examine patient education programmes designed to prevent diabetic foot ulcers.

http://www.nursingtimes.net/educating-patients-to-prevent-diabetic-foot-ulceration/5038364.article

 

[trophywench]

Hmmm - like a lot of things with D - they seem to still think that telling you something once in 1972 when your head is completely buzzing with new info and the heart stopping effects of your diagnosis - is enough info to last you till you die naturally in your sleep with no D complications when you are 103.

A lot of people - myself included - need regular input, feedback and memory jogging. I start off full of determination then RL intervenes and I think, must do that ... tomorrow .... eg in September I told the surgery nurse that the hard skin on one foot was a 'work in progress'. Well the workmen haven't been seen since and now it's a lot worse .....

Hardly life threatening or anything like that in my case, but apathy rules in a lot of places - and I'm about the worst example of it I can think of !