Diabetic foot workshop: Improving technical and educational skills for nurses

The needs of patients with diabetes for the prevention and treatment of foot complications in Thailand: A qualitative descriptive study

Background

Inadequate diabetes self-management leads to foot infections and lower extremity amputations. Effective self-care, supported by nurse-provided information, is crucial, particularly in foot care. However, the current approach in Thailand focuses more on what nurses want patients to know rather than addressing patients' actual needs. Consequently, nurses might misunderstand their patients' perspectives. Hence, nurses need to grasp patients' needs for successful foot care behavior.

Objective

This study aimed to explore the needs of patients with diabetes regarding the prevention and treatment of foot complications.

Methods

The study employed a qualitative descriptive design. Thirty participants classified as high risk for foot ulcers were purposively selected from Thailand's university hospitals. Focus group discussions were used for data collection between June and July 2021. Verbatim transcription and content analysis were carried out for data analysis.

Results

Four emergent themes highlighted patients' needs: 1) information-giving, 2) proactive foot screening with foot-care affirmation, 3) foot care services, and 4) relieving foot burdens and limb loss.

Conclusion

Nurses should change their mindset to care for and continually understand patients' needs. This involves adapting educational strategies like the teach-back method and coaching while providing skill training. Offering diverse service platforms, both online and onsite education programs and counseling, is essential. Additionally, ensuring accessibility and affordability, such as establishing after-hours clinics and supplying foot care toolkits, remains crucial.

Diabetic Foot scientific activities in Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute

Introduction

Diabetic Foot (DF) as a common complication of Diabetes should be intensive intervention for prevention, management and rehabilitation. In this regard, Diabetes Research Center of Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute (EMRI) of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) considered DF as a priority research area to investigate multidimensional aspects of DF care. We are intended to summarize DF research studies affiliated to the EMRI for over the last two decades.

Methods

Three Electronic databases including Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus were searched until January 2020 to find articles about DF published affiliated to EMRI. The main concepts of search strategies were "diabetes", "Foot". 115 documents retrieved from these databases which screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria. The visualization of the network of co-authorship of authors and co-occurrence of keywords was illustrated and documents were analyzed for content according to the Main areas of DF Research studies.

Result

64 related documents including original articles, reviews, letters, notes, and book chapter have included to this study. According to the objectives of the retrieved studies, DF documents and research studies categorized in the two main groups including DF prevention, classification and risk stratification in addition management of DF.

Conclusion

Despite conducted research and educational activities in DF prevention and management, the following topics would be considered as well: effective offloading treatment, correcting the nutritional status for improving wound healing and novel educational strategies for diabetic foot multi-disciplinary team.

Diabetic foot care course: a quasi-experimental study on E-learning versus interactive workshop

Background

Nurses, as multidisciplinary Diabetic Foot Care (DFC) team members, need to be trained in DF prevention and management. Regarding the increasing use of e-learning educational courses as the new learning strategy with potential benefits among health care providers, this study attempted to evaluate the educational effects of an e-learning course on DFC compared to that of an interactive workshop in the related knowledge attainment.

Methods

This was a quasi-experimental study compared two non-randomized groups consisting of nurses who attended an e-learning course (intervention group) and a face-to-face interactive workshop (control group) on DFC using a pre- and post-test design. The eligible nurses enrolled by convenience sampling. All five e-modules on DF prevention and care were the same for both groups. A P value of <0.05 was considered as significant.

Results

The study findings indicated that both e-learning course and interactive workshop increased DFC knowledge among nurses. There is a significant difference between the learning level (after training) in the intervention and control groups (P < 0.01).

Conclusions

The findings suggest that the e-learning course of DF could be as effective as conventional educational methods. However, considering the time, cost savings and providing an opportunity to learn anytime and anywhere, of the e-learning course, it is recommend for the future and required that more health care providers be trained to use of distance learning.

Nurses' knowledge and attitude towards diabetes foot care in Bahir Dar, North West Ethiopia

A diabetes foot ulcer is the commonest non-traumatic reason for the amputation of the lower extremities. All adults with diabetes should undergo comprehensive foot evaluation at least annually, but for high-risk individuals with diabetes more frequently by a health care provider and daily by the people themselves. Nurses' knowledge and attitude are fundamental to conduct a diabetes foot risk assessment and provide foot care for known diabetes person. Knowledge and attitude of nurses about the assessment and risk, identification of diabetes foot are not well studied in Ethiopia, especially in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to assess nurses' knowledge and attitude towards diabetes foot ulcer in Bahir Dar, North West Ethiopia. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Bahir Dar city administration hospitals from January 1st to 5th, 2019. The study participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Nurses' level of knowledge and attitude towards diabetes foot ulcer assessment and management determined by using multiple-choice questions of nurse's knowledge and attitude questionnaires. The association between the independent and dependent variables was assessed. In this study, the overall proportions of nurses' knowledge and attitude towards diabetes foot assessment and management were 54.4% and 43.3% respectively. Age less than 30 years old (AOR = 2.15, 95%CI: 1.10, 4.19; P = 0.025), the nurse who graduates from a governmental institution (AOR = 3.05, 95% CI: 1.64, 5.69; P < 0.001) and use the internet as a source of knowledge (AOR = 0.55, 95%CI: 0.31, 0.96; P = 0.035) was significantly associated with nurses' knowledge towards diabetes foot care. Age less than 30 years old (AOR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.16, 3.35; P = 0.012)and the nurse level of qualification (AOR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.78; P = 0.007)were significantly associated with nurses' level of attitude towards diabetes foot care. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the important gaps in nurses' knowledge and attitude towards diabetes foot care. Nurses' insufficient knowledge and non-favorable attitude towards diabetes foot care compromise health care standard diabetes care. Therefore, a comprehensive revision of nursing curricula across local tertiary learning institutes required qualified instructors and a strengthened regulatory body (especially private ones), and validated source of information for allowing nurses to update their knowledge is warranted.

A multidisciplinary team approach in Iranian diabetic foot research group

Diabetic Foot (DF) as a common complication of Diabetes needs to intensive intervention for prevention, management and rehabilitation. In this regard, the Iranian Diabetic Foot Research Group (IDFRG) of Diabetes Research Center of Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute (EMRI) of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) with multi-disciplinary approach have begun its activity since 2014. The aim of this paper is introducing the IDFRG in four main categories including Education, Research, Knowledge Translation and Clinical Care. According to the strategic plan, Future activities would be considered as five following areas: National Diabetic Foot Research Network (NDFRN) Establishment, Podiatrist Curriculum Development, Iranian Diabetic Foot Registry System (IDFRS) Launch, DF guideline Implementation and last but not least DF Ward Establishment.

Evaluation of Nurses' Knowledge Levels of Diabetic Foot Care Management

BACKGROUND

Nurses, important members of the diabetes treatment team, have an essential role in the prevention of diabetic foot problems and in the care and education of patients at risk of diabetic foot problems.

OBJECTIVE

The study evaluated the knowledge levels of nurses regarding diabetic foot care management and determined influencing factors.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. The research sample comprised 435 nurses who worked in a private hospital. The research data were collected using the "Nurse Information Form" and "Nurses' Knowledge Level Form on Diabetic Foot Management".

RESULTS

It was found that 66% of the nurses did not receive training in diabetic foot care, 80.9% did not educate patients with diabetic foot problems, and 77.5% did not perform foot examinations on diabetic patients.

CONCLUSION

Nurses' knowledge level scores regarding diabetic foot management are adequate, but this knowledge is not used during patient care. In order to facilitate nurses' involvement in diabetic foot management, theoretical and practical training programs should be organized and nurses should be encouraged to participate in these programs.