Preserving feet in the uremic diabetic: the physician's role

We report the results of a study of 40 consecutive conditions seen in 38 ambulatory diabetics at a municipal hospital podiatry clinic and a university hospital nephrology clinic. The vast majority (92.5%) were preventable, had appropriate foot care procedures been followed. It is suggested that the lack of emphasis on prevention of foot pathology in diabetics by criteria for fee-for-service payment in medicine leads to excessive and unnecessary limb morbidity.