RCT of a 1v 2year foot screening for low risk people with diabetes
Research type
Research Study
Full title
RCT of a 1- versus 2-year foot screening interval for low risk diabetic patients exploring potential links between foot problems and social deprivation.
IRAS ID
335993
Contact name
Ciara M Hughes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Ulster University
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 8 months, 0 days
Research summary
Current practice is to screen the feet of everyone who has diabetes who is categorised as “low risk” every year however there is no good research evidence to say that this is the correct time frame for people with diabetes who are “low risk”.
We want to see if there is any reason why we should not carry out this screening every two years instead of annually, as we currently do.(When initally seen by a podiatrist everyone with diabetes has a full foot assessment carried out following which they are risk stratified - low, moderate, high or active). Those stratified as low risk are then screened on an annual basis.
Those who take part in the study , will be required to attend for their screening appointment and then again in either one year or two years’ time. When they attend they will be given a copy of a foot health booklet by the podiatrist – this explains how to look after their feet and how to contact the podiatry department at any time should they have any concerns about their feet.
This study is called a randomised controlled trial so those taking part will be randomly allocated to one of two groups when they attend for their podiatry screening appointment – one group will be seen on an annual basis and the other group will next be seen for screening two years after the initial appointment. However if at any time any study participant has concerns around their foot health they can contact the local podiatry service for help / advice.REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
25/NI/0031
Date of REC Opinion
20 Mar 2025
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion