Ziegler Dan, Burow Sindy, Landgraf Rüdiger, Lobmann Ralf, Reiners Karlheinz, Rett Kristian, Schnell Oliver
Institute for Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Center, Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Deutscher Verband für Podologie (ZFD) e.V., Kassel, Germany.
Endocr Pract. 2024 Sep;30(9):817-821. doi: 10.1016/j.eprac.2024.06.006. Epub 2024 Jun 14.
Podiatrists constitute a key member of a multidisciplinary foot care team, but their services remain underutilized. We sought to gain insights into the daily practice of podiatrists focusing on screening for and monitoring of diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) as well as foot management.
This cross-sectional survey included 125 podiatrists from 12 federal states across Germany who responded to an online questionnaire.
The majority of patients treated in podiatry practices were referred by general practitioners and diabetologists. Screening for or follow-up of DSPN was performed by 36% of the respondents at least once a year, by 28% only at initial examination, by 21% only at suspicion, and by 10% basically at each treatment visit. Instruments to assess vibration, touch/pressure, and temperature sensation were used by 81% to 94% of the podiatrists. Previously undiagnosed DSPN and foot ulcers were detected frequently/very frequently (≥6 cases/mo) by 24.0 and 18.4% of the podiatrists, respectively. Almost all podiatrists advised daily self-monitoring of feet and appropriate foot care and >50% gave advice on medical treatment.
Podiatrists play an important role in the detection, monitoring, and management of both DSPN and diabetic foot ulcers, suggesting that the utilization of their services should be fostered.
足病医生是多学科足部护理团队的关键成员，但其服务仍未得到充分利用。我们试图深入了解足病医生的日常工作，重点关注糖尿病感觉运动性多发性神经病变（DSPN）的筛查和监测以及足部管理。
这项横断面调查纳入了来自德国12个联邦州的125名足病医生，他们回复了一份在线问卷。
足病诊疗机构中接受治疗的大多数患者是由全科医生和糖尿病专科医生转诊而来的。36%的受访者至少每年对DSPN进行一次筛查或随访，28%仅在初次检查时进行，21%仅在怀疑时进行，10%基本上在每次治疗就诊时进行。81%至94%的足病医生使用了评估振动、触觉/压力和温度感觉的仪器。分别有24.0%和18.4%的足病医生经常/非常频繁地（≥6例/月）检测到先前未诊断出的DSPN和足部溃疡。几乎所有足病医生都建议患者每天自行监测足部并进行适当的足部护理，超过50%的医生就药物治疗提供了建议。
足病医生在DSPN和糖尿病足溃疡的检测、监测和管理中发挥着重要作用，这表明应促进对其服务的利用。
