Date of Graduation
5-2019
Document Type
Capstone
Keywords
Diabetes; Foot care; Amputation; Patient education; Primary clinic
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Degree Level
Graduate
Advisor/Mentor
Kippenbrock, Thomas
Abstract
Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide. The persistent nature of the disease increases the risk of complications, including blindness, kidney failure, lower limb amputation, and cardiovascular disorders. In the United States, there were a total of 7.2 million hospital discharges in 2014, with diabetes as the diagnosis. It was estimated that 108,000 of those discharges were for a lower-extremity amputation (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017). The American Diabetes Association recommends that all adults with diabetes should undergo a comprehensive foot evaluation at least annually, and daily foot care education should be provided. Preventive therapy with early identification of foot problems, foot care education, and referral to specialists reduces amputation rates (CDC, 2011). However, many diabetic patients report that they have never had a foot screening by their primary care provider. This quality improvement project seeks to determine if the education of a clinic’s providers and staff, easily accessible patient education materials, and exam supplies in each room will improve the performance, documentation, and education of foot exams for adults with diabetes in a primary care clinic. A pre and post intervention analysis was conducted by retrospective chart reviews to determine if a significant improvement occurred.
Citation
Duff, H. (2019). Improving Diabetic Foot Exams and Education in a Primary Care Clinic. The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Capstone Projects. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/nursstudent/41
