One foot at a time: the promotion of diabetic foot care

Approximately 15 percent of people with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer in their lifetime and it is estimated that diabetic foot ulcers cost the  healthcare system approximately 150 million dollars annually. More than half of the rate of amputations could have been prevented with appropriate foot and nail care, as well as the use of suitable footwear. Front line nurses do not formally teach patients about proper diabetic foot care as a result of lack of knowledge and time. In order to improve patient outcomes, a 30 minute education session on the promotion of diabetic foot care was provided for 29 front line nurses and Inlow’s 60 second foot screen was introduced. The goal of this session was that front line nursing staff would implement Inlow’s 60 second diabetic foot screen into their practice and be able to implement the knowledge gained from the education sessions into teaching their patients about preventative foot care. A pre and post knowledge quiz was given to participants. Along with the pre and post tests, nurses were also followed up within two weeks after the education sessions to evaluate the usuability of Inlow’s 60 second diabetic foot screen. Results from the post test indicate that knowledge increaaed in the areas of proper nail care, frequency of foot inspection, effective methods of measuring sensation, and risk factors for goot ulcers. Overall, nurses found Inlow’s 60 second diabetic foot screen easy to use and a useful communication tool to guide future care planning.