Clinical decision support systems for diabetic foot ulcers: a scoping review

Map the scientific evidence on the use of clinical decision support systems in diabetic foot care.

A scoping review based on the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis and registered on the Open Science Framework platform. Searches were carried out in primary and secondary sources on prototypes and computerized tools aimed at assisting patients with diabetic foot or at risk of having it, published in any language or period, in eleven databases and grey literature.

A total of 710 studies were identified and, following the eligibility criteria, 23 were selected, which portrayed the use of decision support systems in diabetic foot screening, predicting the risk of ulcers and amputations, classifying the stage of severity, deciding on the treatment plan, and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions, by processing data relating to clinical and sociodemographic information.

Expert systems stand out for their satisfactory results, with high precision and sensitivity when it comes to guiding and qualifying the decision-making process in diabetic foot prevention and care.