Impact of Preventive Diabetic Foot Nursing Intervention on Foot Status among Patients with Diabetes

Abstract

Background and aim: Diabetic foot is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus and many of which are preventable with early recognition and therapy. Aim: The aim of the current study was to assess impact of preventive diabetic foot nursing intervention on foot status among patients with diabetes. Methods: A quazi-experimental design was utilized to conduct the current study on a convenient sample of 67 patients who were assigned randomly to either the study group or control group. The subjects in the study group (33 patients) received the preventive diabetic foot care nursing intervention while, the subjects in the control group (34 patients) received the routine clinic care. The study was conducted at the outpatient clinic in El-Kasr El-Aini Hospital, Cairo University, Egypt. Four tools were applied for the study: Socio-demographic data sheet, Diabetic foot care knowledge test, Foot care behavior, and Lower extremity health status inventory. Results: The study results showed that both groups had low mean knowledge scores related to preventive diabetic foot care in the 1st visit, while in the 4th visit after implementation of the preventive diabetic foot care nursing intervention, the difference was statistically significant. In relation to foot care behavior, there was statistically significant difference between both groups in the 4th visit. Additionally, in relation to foot health status, there was statistically significant difference in the 3rd and 4th visits between both groups. Conclusion: The preventive diabetic foot nursing intervention was effective in improving knowledge, foot care behavior and foot health status scores among patients with diabetes.
Keywords: Diabetic patient, preventive foot care, nursing intervention, foot status.