During the month of May, Wounds Canada is focusing on foot health, particularly for those who are living with diabetes. It’s important to know that diabetes increases risk for foot ulcers and other complications. There are several reasons for this. Among them:

• Loss of sensation because of nerve damage to the feet means the individual can’t feel discomfort or pain caused by external trauma, such as stepping on something sharp or developing a blister caused by shoes rubbing on the foot. This nerve damage is known as “neuropathy” and it can mean the person isn’t even aware that their foot has been damaged.
• Poor blood flow, also known as arterial insufficiency, can result in slow and/or incomplete healing for any damage that does occur. 
• Poor vision is a consequence of diabetes that can make it difficult to inspect and care for feet properly.

All of these conditions can pose serious health risks—including ulcers, infections and even amputations—to a person’s feet. Current statistics show that 15–34% of patients with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer in their lifetime and that 80% of lower limb amputations are preceded by a diabetic foot ulcer. Yet, many are preventable through regular, consistent and purposeful action on the part of the person with diabetes, their family members and their health teams. In addition, they must be supported by health decision makers who set the policies to ensure best practice care in their regions. 

Wounds Canada provides to all of these groups information, education and tools to keep the feet of all Canadians healthy. 

This month join us in spreading awareness about foot health and the steps required to keep feet healthy and wound-free by amplifying our social media messages, talking to your friends and family about foot health and working with your health-care team to emphasize preventative action.

Whether you are a patient, clinician or policy maker you have a role to play in preventing diabetes-related amputations. This article outlines how everyone can work together to keep feet healthy in individuals with diabetes. Amputation Prevention: Your Role in Saving Limbs of Persons Living with Diabetic Foot Complications.

Learn How Wounds Canada Supports You!

Patients

• Check out the wide variety of Wounds Canada resources for Patients and Caregivers to learn more about preventing diabetes related wounds that can lead to limb loss.
• Inspect your feet daily. Caring for Your Feet: Safe Foot Care if You Have Diabetes provides clear, simple instructions on how to do this. 
• Diabetes, Healthy Feet and You is a program that provides education, patient resources and tips to persons with diabetes and their care partners.
• Insist that your health-care provider check your feet regularly using a validated tool to identify your risk level and track your progress.
• For a simple guide for persons with diabetes and their care partners to help them prevent or care for diabetic foot complications check out Diabetic Foot Complications: When is it an emergency? 
• Talking about prevention of diabetes-related wounds and ulcers is a great way to increase awareness in your community as well as improve the lives of people at risk of diabetes related foot complications and their families. If you or your loved one is living with a diabetes-related foot condition, use your voice to help raise awareness or share your experience with our team through our Our Voices, Our Stories initiative.

Health-care Providers

Risk screening and early, effective interventions are the best way to support the foot health of your patients with diabetes. 

Visit the Wounds Canada Institute web pages for two courses on how to best support your patients with diabetes:

• Focus on the Prevention and Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Knowledge and Skills (A101MWS)
• Holistic Approach to Diabetic Foot Offloading: Knowledge and Skills (A108MWS) 

Make sure to check out the tools and resources available in the Health-care Professional section of this website. Essential resources include:

• Best Practice Recommendations for the Prevention and Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcers 
•  Inlow’s 60-second Diabetic Foot Screen
• The Importance of Timely Interventions 
• The resources in the Patient section above. They are helpful tools when providing education and instruction to your patients on self-management techniques.

Policy Makers

• If you are a health decision maker you can use the Foot Health Pathway for People Living with Diabetes to guide your decision making. Implementing this pathway will support preventative measures and early intervention strategies to manage diabetes-related foot complications and lessen the overall financial burden of diabetic foot ulcers, infections and amputations on health-care systems. 
• The Importance of Timely Interventions is an article that illustrates the importance of systems that support risk screening and early, effective actions 

Everyone!

• Make a charitable donation to Wounds Canada to help us provide essential support and resources to those affected by diabetes-related foot conditions. Your generosity can change lives!