[The Effects of a Digital Multimedia Foot Ulcer Care Program on Health Beliefs and Self-Care Behaviors in People With Diabetic Foot Ulcer].

BACKGROUND

Foot complications, common among diabetic patients, often lead to amputation and increased dependence on daily living assistance. Effective and sustained intervention programs are important challenges that nursing staff must address.

PURPOSE

This study was designed to explore the effectiveness of a digital multimedia foot ulcer care program on the foot health beliefs and self-care behaviors of diabetic patients.

METHODS

An experimental research design was adopted, with a total of 62 patients with type 2 diabetes in the plastic surgery ward of a regional hospital in southern Taiwan enrolled as participants. The participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 31), which received a digital multimedia foot ulcer care program via mobile phones or tablets for eight weeks, or the control group (n = 31), which received conventional diabetic foot care education leaflets. The research instruments included a demographic questionnaire, the Diabetic Foot Ulcer Health Belief Scale, and the Diabetic Foot Care Behavior Scale. Data were collected at baseline, four weeks, and eight weeks, and were analyzed using SPSS 22.0.

RESULTS

The study was completed with 30 participants in both groups. The experimental group showed significantly greater improvements in health beliefs at the fourth and eighth weeks post-assessment than the control group, with increases of 3.77 and 5.13, respectively (p = .03, p = .02). These improvements were statistically significant and exceeded baseline values significantly (p < .05). In terms of self-care behaviors, improvements in the experimental group exceeded those in the control group by 2.27 and 1.83, respectively, at four and eight weeks (p = .03, p = .05). Furthermore, the experimental group exhibited superior changes in scores compared to the control group.

CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The digital multimedia foot ulcer care program implemented in this study significantly enhanced health beliefs and self-care behaviors in patients with diabetic foot ulcers. This program may be employed during hospitalization and post-discharge to improve foot ulcer care techniques and reduce diabetic foot ulcer deterioration.