American orthopaedic foot and ankle society shoe survey of diabetic patients

A one-page written survey was completed by 402 randomly selected patients w ith diabetes in five cities during a scheduled visit to their endocrinologi st. Patients averaged 61.5 years of age and had been diagnosed with diabete s for 27.3 years. This study suggests that approximately 25% of adults with diabetes are at r isk for developing foot ulcers, the precursor to deep infection leading to lower limb amputation. The goal, at the inception of this project was to ob tain benchmark data on the current level of prophylactic foot care being pr ovided to adult patients with diabetes. The results of this survey suggest that most individuals with diabetes and their physicians are aware of poten tial diabetic foot morbidity, yet very few take advantage of prophylactic p rotective footware. Even fewer are presently taking advantage of benefits e stablished through the Medicare Therapeutic Foot Bill. This survey highligh ts a substantial opportunity for improvement in the long-term care of indiv iduals with diabetes.