Preventing foot complications in people with diabetes mellitus
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Preventing foot complications in people with diabetes mellitus

Dan Howarth Head of care, Diabetes UK, London, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To enhance your knowledge of the foot complications associated with diabetes mellitus

  • To understand the effects of diabetic peripheral neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease on foot health

  • To raise your awareness of the importance of daily foot examinations and annual foot reviews for people with diabetes

‘Diabetic foot’ is a term used to describe a group of syndromes in which neuropathy and/or ischaemia lead to tissue breakdown and reduced resistance to infection in a patient with diabetes mellitus. Foot ulceration is a serious and potentially limb-threatening complication of diabetes that can lead to pain, tissue necrosis and amputation, and may significantly affect an individual’s well-being and mobility. Foot complications also have wider economic implications for healthcare services. Therefore, it is important to reduce the risk of foot complications through regular foot assessments and providing patient education and appropriate referral to specialist services. This article discusses foot complications in people with diabetes, outlining the causes, signs and symptoms, and associated risk factors. It also outlines the assessment and prevention measures that patients and healthcare practitioners can take to reduce the risk of foot complications.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2019.e11432

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@diabetes_dan

Correspondence

daniel.howarth@diabetes.org.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Howarth D (2019) Preventing foot complications in people with diabetes mellitus. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2019.e11432

Published online: 28 June 2019

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more