Vascular Surgery Department, Fiona Stanley Hospital, 11 Robin Warren Drive, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia.
Department of Endocrinology, Fiona Stanley Hospital, 11 Robin Warren Drive, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia.
J Foot Ankle Res. 2021 Apr 7;14(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s13047-021-00471-x.
With growing global prevalence of diabetes mellitus, diabetes-related foot disease (DFD) is contributing significantly to disease burden. As more healthcare resources are being dedicated to the management of DFD, service design and delivery is being scrutinised. Through a national survey, this study aimed to investigate the current characteristics of services which treat patients with DFD in Australia.
An online survey was distributed to all 195 Australian members of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Vascular Surgery investigating aspects of DFD management in each member's institution.
From the survey, 52 responses were received (26.7%). A multidisciplinary diabetes foot unit (MDFU) was available in more than half of respondent's institutions, most of which were tertiary hospitals. The common components of MDFU were identified as podiatrists, endocrinologists, vascular surgeons and infectious disease physicians. Many respondents identified vascular surgery as being the primary admitting specialty for DFD patients that require hospitalisation (33/52, 63.5%). This finding was consistent even in centres with MDFU clinics. Less than one third of MDFUs had independent admission rights.
The present study suggests that many tertiary centres in Australia provide their diabetic foot service in a multidisciplinary environment however their composition and function remain heterogeneous. These findings provide an opportunity to evaluate current practice and, to initiate strategies aimed to improve outcomes of patients with DFD.
随着全球糖尿病患病率的不断上升，糖尿病相关足部疾病（DFD）对疾病负担的影响越来越大。随着越来越多的医疗资源用于 DFD 的管理，服务设计和提供正在受到严格审查。本研究通过全国性调查，旨在调查澳大利亚治疗 DFD 患者的服务现状。
向澳大利亚和新西兰血管外科学会的 195 名澳大利亚成员在线分发了一份调查，调查了每位成员机构中 DFD 管理的各个方面。
从调查中，共收到 52 份回复（26.7%）。超过一半的受访者机构提供多学科糖尿病足单位（MDFU），其中大多数为三级医院。MDFU 的常见组成部分包括足病医生、内分泌学家、血管外科医生和传染病医生。许多受访者认为血管外科是需要住院治疗的 DFD 患者的主要收治专科（33/52，63.5%）。即使在设有 MDFU 诊所的中心，也存在这种情况。不到三分之一的 MDFU 拥有独立的入院权。
本研究表明，澳大利亚的许多三级中心在多学科环境中提供其糖尿病足服务，但它们的组成和功能仍存在差异。这些发现为评估当前的实践提供了机会，并为旨在改善 DFD 患者结局的策略提供了机会。
