Decision Aid for Device Selection for Diabetic Foot Ulceration

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Development of a decision aid for offloading device selection for people with diabetic foot ulceration

• IRAS ID

  335544

• Contact name

  Lindsey Cherry

• Contact email

  l.cherry@soton.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Southampton

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 10 months, 31 days

• Research summary

  One out of four adults with diabetes are affected by diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) during their lifetime, which costs the NHS almost £1 billion in England alone. Offloading devices, such as total contact casts or boots, keep pressure away from the ulcer site and help it to heal more quickly. These devices are recommended by NICE and international guidelines. There are good and bad points for each (the cast, or the boot), and it is important people are supported to choose which is right for them. There is no standard way of helping people choose.
  We aim to create a visual tool, called a decision aid (DA). A DA shows the good and bad points for different treatment options. For example, we know casts tend to heal DFUs faster than boots, but you cannot drive with them. People can drive with a boot. Driving may be a priority for some people, to collect children or get to work, but healing quickly could be a priority for others. Using a DA can help people to consider the benefits and risks for each treatment option and choose what they consider right for them. Helping people choose their treatment can make them healthier and happier in the longer term.

  We also aim to find out what is needed to support clinicians to use the DA as part of routine care. We know that some clinicians can find supporting people with treatment choice difficult, particularly if there are clinical guidelines or protocols that favour one option over another. It is also unclear currently which clinicians may be best placed to support DA use, in what setting, and at what time. Similarly, the training needed to be able to effectively use the DA is unclear.

• REC name

  London - South East Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  24/PR/0450

• Date of REC Opinion

  30 May 2024

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion