Practical Guidelines - Introduction


Practical Guidelines - Introduction
Guidelines	Introduction Foot complications are one of the most serious and costly complications of diabetes mellitus. Amputation of (part of) a lower extremity is usually preceded by a foot ulcer. A strategy which includes prevention, patient and staff education, multi-disciplinary treatment of foot ulcers and close monitoring can reduce amputation rates by 49-85%. Therefore, several countries and organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation, have set goals to reduce the rate of amputations by up to 50%. In these guidelines the basic principles of prevention and treatment will be described, based upon the document entitled "International Consensus on the Diabetic Foot". Depending upon local circumstances these principles have to be translated for local use, taking into account regional differences in socio-economics, accessibility to healthcare and cultural factors. The "Practical Guidelines" are aimed at healthcare workers involved in the care of diabetic patients. For more details and information on treatment by specialists in foot-care, the reader is referred to the International Consensus document.