Enhancing foot care education and support strategies in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Hsiao-Hui Ju, Madelene Ottosen, Jeffery Alford and 2 others
PMID 38330227WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with type 2 diabetes said seeing foot complications in people they knew motivated daily checks, while shame, embarrassment, body size, pain, footwear habits, and family criticism made foot care harder.
Key findings
01Participants said recalling or seeing diabetes-related foot complications in people they knew motivated them to check and care for their feet.
02Shame about diabetes, embarrassment about foot appearance or toenails, and fear of being judged made some patients avoid showing their feet to providers.
03Physical limitations, footwear habits, cultural norms, comorbid foot conditions, and family support or criticism shaped whether patients could do daily foot care.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Participants came from two clinics in southwest Houston and were already enrolled in a foot care education program, so they may have been more interested in foot care than people who did not seek it. Some participants did not answer all interview questions because of time constraints. The analysis did not examine how foot care perceptions varied by diabetes duration. This is qualitative perception data, not an effect of the education program or foot outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that telehealth foot care education prevents complications or improves self-care. The paper reports perceptions from 29 patients nested in a feasibility study, not outcomes from a tested intervention.