Assessment of diabetic foot risk among diabetic patients in a tertiary care hospital, South India

INTRODUCTION: Foot problems are most common among patients with diabetes, and they are an important cause of morbidity in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). They can be prevented by following a simple foot care practice. The study objective was to stratify the level of risk for diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) among patients with diabetes by screening. MATERIALS And METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted in this study. The sample size was 196, and a standardized INLOW'S 60-s diabetic foot screening tool was used to assess the risk of diabetic foot. Data collection was done by face-to-face interview, and diabetic foot risk (DFR) was assessed by direct observation, inspection, and palpation methods. RESULTS: Among the 196 patients, majority required yearly foot screen in both feet. The mean and standard deviation of the level of DFR in the left foot (LF) and right foot (RF) was 4.31 +/- 2.267 and 4.51 +/- 2.391, respectively. There was a statistically significant association between the practice of treatment and level of foot screening recommendation in the LF with Chi-square value of chi 2 = 8.20 (df = 2) and RF with Chi-square value of chi 2 = 7.95 (df = 2) at P < 0.05 level. CONCLUSION: Health-care providers should be made aware of the regular practice of screening the foot of diabetic patients along with health education awareness programs. It may be helpful to identify the foot ulcer risk at an early stage. It will prevent further complications of DFU and recurrence of ulcer and will reduce the economic burden to patients and their family members and the health-care system.