Diabetic foot prevention: A neglected opportunity in high-risk patients

Lawrence A. Lavery, Nathan A. Hunt, Javier LaFontaine, Cory L. Baxter, Agbor Ndip, Andrew J M Boulton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

48 Scopus citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE - To evaluate the frequency of foot prevention strategies among high-risk patients with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Electronic medical records were used to identify 150 patients on dialysis and 150 patients with previous foot ulceration or amputation with 30 months follow-up to determine the frequency with which patients received education, podiatry care, and therapeutic shoes and insoles as prevention services. RESULTS - Few patients had formal education (1.3%), therapeutic shoes/insoles (7%), or preventative podiatric care (30%). The ulcer incidence density was the same in both groups (210 per 1,000 person-years). In contrast, the amputation incidence density was higher in the dialysis group compared with the ulcer group (58.7 vs. 13.1 per 1,000 person-years, P<0.001). Patients on dialysis were younger and more likely to be of non-Hispanic white descent (P = 0.006) than patients with a previous history of ulcer or amputation. CONCLUSIONS - Prevention services are infrequently provided to high-risk patients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1460-1462
Number of pages3
JournalDiabetes care
Volume33
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2010

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Internal Medicine
  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Advanced and Specialized Nursing

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Diabetic foot prevention: A neglected opportunity in high-risk patients'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this