Every year there are more than 27,000 hospital admissions in Australia for diabetes-related foot ulcers. Many of these will lead to people having a limb, or part of a limb, amputated.

However, a new pathway tool developed by Diabetes Australia and the Australian Diabetes Society, will help health professionals deliver the care required to dramatically reduce the number of amputations in Australia.

Diabetes Australia CEO Professor Greg Johnson said the new pathway clinical support tools, developed as part of the National Diabetes Services Scheme-funded Foot Forward diabetes complications prevention program, will help health professionals assess a person with diabetes’ risk of diabetes-related foot disease and ensure they are promptly referred to specialist services if necessary.

“Many people with diabetes don’t have their feet checked regularly by a health professional and if foot problems do develop they are not always treated as quickly as they should be,” Professor Johnson said.

“The pathway tools are simple, visual documents designed to help a wide range of health professionals understand risk stratification that is appropriate to an individual’s level of risk. It also provides advice on what to do if someone has an active foot issue like an ulcer.

“It is all about identifying potential foot issues as soon as possible after they develop and then ensuring people get the care and support that is appropriate to their level of risk to help people avoid debilitating amputations and optimise the use of existing health resources.

“There are already a range of excellent locally resources and services and we want to make it easy for people to connect with these.

“Another important aspect of the pathway is creating a nationally-consistent approach to managing diabetes-related foot issues.

A Risk Stratification Pathway categorises people with diabetes into four risk categories (very low, low, moderate and high) and provides a definition of each category. These are linked to actions which provide a guide to services or interventions the person with diabetes should receive and who should deliver that care.

An Active Foot Disease Pathway classifies the main categories of active foot disease that can affect people with diabetes and provides a definition of each category. As with the Stratification Pathway, it is linked to actions, services and guidance on who is best placed to deliver the required care.

The Integrated Diabetes Footcare Pathway was launched at the Australasian Diabetes Conference today (Thursday 12 November) by Professor Stephen Twigg, who has led its development. It has been endorsed by leading diabetes and foot care experts.

Professor Twigg said most amputations in people with diabetes are the result of foot ulcers that do not heal promptly and are complicated by secondary spreading infection and often, poor blood supply.

“People who develop a foot ulcer require rapid access to interdisciplinary high-risk foot care services (iHRFS) to help heal ulcers and prevent future hospitalisation and ultimately reduce the risk of amputation,” Professor Twigg said.

“Early identification of foot problems and earlier treatment can help people with diabetes to be healthy and out of hospital which, of course, is our goal.”

Foot Forward is funded by the Australian Government and delivered in partnership by Diabetes Australia and the Australian Diabetes Society.

Foot Forward promotes early self-identification of foot problems by people with diabetes and encourages earlier access to health professional services and iHRFS.

It provides new information, education and support resources and activities for both people with diabetes, and health professionals and health workers, to help support early identification, early referral, early and optimal treatment, and prevention of diabetes related foot problems and amputations.

https://www.footforward.org.au/