Diabetes foot screening: Challenges and future strategies

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases
• Public Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Healthcare for diabetes, particularly diabetic foot disease, lacks uniformity globally.
• Discrepancies in existing guidelines cause confusion for healthcare professionals and policymakers.
• Need for culturally competent guidelines to address variations in diabetes care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore stakeholder perspectives on diabetic foot screening guidelines.
• To inform the development of culturally competent guidelines for diabetes foot care.
• To address inconsistencies in current healthcare practices for diabetic foot disease.

Main Methods:

• Phenomenological study design.
• Conducted non-structured interviews with eleven local stakeholders and experts in Malta.
• Qualitative analysis of interview data to identify key themes.

Main Results:

• Identified three primary themes acting as barriers to guideline implementation: organizational, healthcare professional, and patient factors.
• Highlighted shortcomings in current diabetes foot screening procedures.
• Data revealed specific challenges faced by stakeholders in implementing existing guidelines.

Conclusions:

• Current diabetes foot screening practices are inadequate and require significant change.
• Implementing effective, culturally competent guidelines is essential for improving diabetes foot care.
• Study findings and recommendations are applicable to countries with similar cultural practices.