The project objective is to create awareness and enhance care for the diabetic foot in four districts in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Expected impact
1,400 health care professionals trained at seminars
480 foot care teams participating in a basic training course on the diabetic foot
36 foot care teams participating in an advanced training course on the diabetic foot
An estimated number of 900,000 people - patients and general public - will benefit from the project
Results to date
3,134 health care professionals (411 doctors, 2,088 nurses, 635 paramedics) have been trained at seminars.
360 foot care teams consisting of a nurse and a doctor each have been trained. 29 teams underwent one week advanced training.
114 screening camps have been conducted, reaching 2,700,000 people. 7,051 patients have been screened for diabetic foot.
3,125 feet have been saved through treatment.
Project details
Recent epidemiological surveys have found that, compared to national averages, the incidence of diabetes in both urban and rural areas is high in the four districts of Andhra Pradesh targeted in this project.
Although the incidence is high, people are ignoring diabetes and diabetes foot care because awareness is lacking.
Therefore, it is important to raise awareness in order to avoid severe complications such as foot ulcers and subsequent amputation of limbs.
Approach
This project will complement another WDF funded project, namely "Diabetes awareness camps" (WDF04-078), also implemented by R. R. Lions Eye Hospital. Together the two projects will create a diabetic unit covering major complications of diabetes e.g. diabetic foot and diabetic retinopathy.
The focus of this present project is to create awareness of diabetes among the general public and people with diabetes as well as education of health care professionals in prevention and treatment of diabetes and diabetic foot problems.
Initially, 3-day basic training courses will be conducted for 480 foot care teams consisting of a doctor and a nurse. The programme will include 1 day for diabetes care, 1 day for theoretical and 1 day for practical diabetes foot care.
One year after the basic training course, a 1-week advanced course will be held for 36 of the trained teams. Selection will be based on implementation performance during the year in between the basic and advanced programme.
The approach takes inspiration from the WDF supported Step-by-Step model which was developed and implemented under WDF03-056.
In addition, seminars will be held for general practitioners, physicians, diabetologists and orthopaedic surgeons and nurses. A total of 1,400 health care professionals are trained.
The aim of the training courses is to make the participants able to identify and treat diabetic foot patients. It is also expected that the training of health care professionals will create awareness and increase motivation among doctors to be trained in diabetic foot care.
Moreover, about 10-20% of the trained doctors are expected to train their colleagues upon return to their home health facilities; thereby further disseminating the effect of the training courses.
The training takes place at the Diabetic Foot Care Centre, which will also conduct awareness programmes aimed at the general public. This will be done through diabetic foot awareness camps held twice a month.
At the camps, people are counselled about healthy life style, diabetes and its complications especially the diabetic foot and how to prevent it. People with high risk of diabetic foot will be identified.
A mobile foot care unit takes part in the foot care camps, providing care and patient education on-site. Follow-ups of all diabetic foot patients are carried out continuously and, if necessary, the patients are referred to the Diabetic Foot Care Centre.
