Healthcare professionals involved in the care of diabetic foot disease are being sought to complete a survey exploring their views on the management and treatment of diabetic foot ulceration (DFU).
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Delphi Study endeavours to gather the invaluable perspectives of both patients and healthcare professionals regarding the outcomes that matter most during the treatment of DFUs. These insights will be used in the development of a comprehensive Core Outcome Set that will enable meaningful comparisons across various studies evaluating different treatments for DFUs.
Consultant Vascular Surgeon with interest in diabetic foot disease at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, David Russell, said: “Clinical trials are often inconsistent in what they measure. This can create a challenge when comparing one study to another. In addition, the outcomes that are reported by the studies are not always the outcomes that matter most to patients. By engaging patients and professionals with specialist experience in the management of DFUs, we hope to define which outcomes matter most to healthcare professionals and patients.
“So far, we have reviewed the research surrounding DFUs and we have found 95 different outcomes. We have then had meetings with patients who have identified a further eight outcomes. The next step in this process is to complete a questionnaire called a ‘Delphi consensus’. This will be an opportunity to look at the 103 outcomes and decide which of them are the most important.”
Healthcare professionals are invited to join this critical mission to establish a standardised framework that enhances research and ultimately improves the management of DFUs.
