Approach
The aim of the project was to improve the quality of care for patients with diabetic foot syndrome (DFS) through structured, interprofessionally coordinated triage and treatment. To address the action area “Difficult-to-Heal Wounds” within the National Strategy for Cardiovascular Diseases, Stroke and Diabetes, QualiCCare initiated an interprofessional DFS working group with representatives from twelve medical and non-medical health professions involved in the care of individuals with diabetic foot wounds. Under the leadership of members of the Diabetic Foot Working Group of the Swiss Society of Endocrinology and Diabetology SGED and based on the guidelines of the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF), a national, cross-professional practice guideline and four indication-specific practice recommendations for the treatment of DFS were developed.
Findings
For initial care providers with a central triage function, a competency-level-specific triage algorithm was developed that enables rapid classification and assignment to the optimal treatment pathway. The algorithms were developed as application aids Level 1A for non-medical healthcare professionals (including pharmacists, nursing professionals, podiatrists, MPA/MPK) and Level 1B for general practitioners. In addition, a cross-professional and cross-care-level checklist was created for anamnestic and clinical documentation as well as for follow-up examinations. The developed tools strengthen uniform, high-quality, and interprofessionally coordinated care for individuals with diabetic foot syndrome.
Practice Recommendations
- Application Aid Level 1A (D, F, I) for pharmacists, podiatrists HF, home care services, nursing professionals, MPA/MPK
- Application Aid Level 1B (D, F, I) for general practitioners
- Checklist for Documentation and Follow-up (D, F, I)
- Practice Guideline (D, F, I, E)
- Charcot Foot (D, F, E)
- Offloading (D, F, E)
- Diabetic Foot Infection (D, F, E)
Publications & Results
- Brochure Diabetes and My Feet
- ePoster Conference Diabetic Foot Europe (December 2020)
- Swiss Medical Weekly (November 2021)
- Rev Med Suisse (2022)
- Poster SGED Annual Congress in Bern (2022)
This project was conducted by Dr. Astrid Czock in her role as Managing Director of QualiCCare.