The goal of the diabetic foot centre of excellence is to provide optimal diagnosis and treatment and also to play a global role by providing a working example for other healthcare professionals, and to help generate improve diabetic foot services throughout the world. Teaching is an important goal. The staff are experts in the field of foot and wound care. Conducting trials, writing, publishing and providing work experience opportunities for others.
SETTING: Multidisciplinary foot team in a large teaching hospital.
AIM: Prevention and specialized curative care for complex cases Provide training to teach other centers.
GOAL: The overall goal is to minimize amputation rates even in very advanced and complex foot problems. Also, as a specialized foot centre, perhaps there is a responsibility to set up an organization that can prevent not only diabetic foot ulcers and amputations in a local setting, but that can also play a more regional, perhaps even national or international role.
| Moving from a local to a more pan-regional or even international role the staff at the centre is involved in the following: | |
|---|---|
| 1. | Foot Examination and detection of foot problems such as callus, corns, nail problems, athletes foot, small & large wounds etc. |
| 2. | Treatments of all kinds of foot problems; |
| 3. | Preventive care with an emphasis on education in foot care, footwear, and trauma prevention; |
| 4. | Treatment of all types of ulcers & infection & education on self-care of ulcers & infections; use of hydrotherapy and ultrasonic debridment is routinely used Negative suction wound care therapy systems are used for domiciliary management of difficult to heal diabetic foot ulcers. |
| 5. | Prevention of Diabetic foot ulcers and amputations in a local setting; |
| 6. | Organizing Workshops/ local meetings; |
| 7. | Attending and presenting at international meetings; |
| 8. | Receiving visitors from other countries; |
| 9. | Organizing training courses in diabetic foot care; |
| 10. | Offering training opportunities; |
| 11. | Forging links with diabetes representative organizations; |
| 12. | Conducting clinical research; |
| 13. | Forming partnerships with corporate interests to ensure a firm base for funding the service; |
| 14. | Creating prevention and treatment programmes in collaborations with other (Specialized) centers; |
| 15. | Participate in the development of the guidelines. |
The highly specialised centre is best equipped to teach and inform the more basic centres. Workshops or meetings are being be organised in which the experience of the team is shared with other centres interested in diabetic foot care. There is be active participation with other internationally renowned institutions. This aids clinical and pre-clinical research, development guidelines and the organisation of international meetings.
