National Diabetes Week: Experts urge regular foot checks for diabetes prevention and management
This National Diabetes Week (12-18 July), experts are urging older people to check their foot health regularly for early signs of diabetes and related complications.
Bolton Clarke Research Institute Senior Research Fellow Dr Rajna Ogrin says people over 65 have a higher risk of diabetes complications as a result of longer duration diabetes.
“As feet are mostly out of sight, they can be out of mind,” Dr Ogrin said.
“This can be a big problem for our clients, particularly as the first diabetes complications often manifest in feet and these can easily be missed, leading to serious illness, wounds, infections, amputations.
“If you have diabetes, it’s important to check your feet every day and get prompt medical attention for things like blisters, swelling, redness, ingrown nails, cuts and bruises, calluses, cracked skin, corns and nail colour changes.”
Bolton Clarke Senior Clinical Nurse Advisor for Diabetes Allira Panebianco has been working with the care provider’s multidisciplinary team of researchers, nurses, wounds and diabetes clinical nurse consultants and allied health professionals to implement initiatives focused on early identification and management of diabetes related foot disease risk factors to optimise health, wellbeing and quality of life outcomes.
“These include amalgamating the Foot Forward Integrated foot care pathway for foot disease risk stratification into our electronic assessments and care plan,” she said.
“We have also recently launched a client outcome indicator report to measure and track how we are supporting clients to avoid escalation of their diabetes related foot disease risk level.”
Leveraging work supported by the Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes and Innovation, Dr Ogrin is also working with RMIT and the University of Melbourne to develop an AI‑driven approach for more accurately predicting healing outcomes in diabetes‑related foot ulcers, supporting early and precise clinical decision‑making aiming to improve outcomes for people living with diabetes‑related foot disease.
For more information about foot care and diabetes go to: Diabetes and your feet | Diabetes Australia
