Reliability of a Diabetic Foot Ulcer Risk Stratification and Referral Algorithm

December 11, 2017 updated by: Elisabeth Harvey, Lawson Health Research Institute
The main objective of this research study is to validate the St Joseph's Health Care Harmonized Foot Ulcer Assessment and Stratification tool using inter-rater reliability technique to determine if the score would consistently be reproducible by examiners of different role (Nurse Practitioner, Family physician, Registered Nurse and Resident). A validated assessment tool allows collecting better quality data with high comparability which enhances quality of foot care and increases the credibility of the tool.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease characterized by the human body's inability to maintain appropriate blood glucose levels ( Buse et al. 2011). When inadequately managed, diabetes results in poor glycemic control, which, if prolonged, results in diabetes-related complications (Stratton et al. 2000). Diabetes is the major cause of blindness, kidney failure, and non-traumatic amputation in Canadian adults (PHAC, 2011). Foot ulcers are the major causes of amputations. Foot ulcers arise from poor circulation associated with peripheral vascular disease and neuropathy, injury and infections. Diabetes affects circulation and immunity, and over time the sensory nerves in the hands and feet may be damaged.

There are more than 2.4 million Canadians living with diabetes, of which 1.2 million of them live in Ontario (MHLTC). Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputation in Canadian adults, associated with approximately 70% of amputations performed in hospital. Compared to the general population, Canadian adults with diabetes are over 20 times more likely to undergo non-traumatic lower limb amputations, 85% of which are preceded by a foot ulcer (PHAC, 2011 and Singh et al.,2005). According to a recent report (CDA, 2016) commissioned by the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA), of the 1.53 million people with diabetes in Ontario, between 16,600 and 27,600 were expected to have a diabetes foot ulcer in 2015. Of these, nearly 2,000 were expected to need to have a lower limb amputated as a result of their condition and those amputations are associated with almost 800 premature deaths. In Ontario, diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) currently impose direct health-care costs of between $320-400 million and indirect costs of between $35-60 million (Hopkins et al.,2015).

Strong evidence shows that up to 85% of diabetic foot amputations can be prevented, supporting the benefits of early recognition of diabetes-related foot complications (CDA, 2013). Furthermore, timely assessment, referral, and provision of evidence-informed foot care are cost saving for the healthcare system. Use of a standardized diabetic foot assessment tool is required to ensure consistent approach to risk recognition and provide a framework for care. In response to the need for a tool that facilitates a consistent and standard screening procedure, the Primary Care Diabetes Support Program (PCDSP) at St. Joseph's Health Care, London, Ontario developed an evidence based, multi-disciplinary foot ulcer assessment tool. The SJHC harmonized foot ulcer assessment tool was developed to aid in the early detection of diabetic foot problems and to ensure prompt referral to the right foot care provider for appropriate treatment, thereby improving outcomes of the diabetic foot.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

51

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • London, Ontario, Canada, N6G 1J1
        • SJHC Primary Care Diabetes Support Program SJHC Family Medical and Dental Centre

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult patients with type 2 diabetes who have received diabetes care at the primary care diabetes support program in London Ontario, Canada.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Patients with type 2 diabetes older than 18, living with diabetes for more than ten years and consented were included in the study as patient participants.

Care providers including family doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses and residents who provider diabetes care was including as care provider participants

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients with previous transfemoral or transtibial amputation or diagnosed with dementia or inability to speak English were excluded from the study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Diabetic foot ulcer risk score
Time Frame: on examination day
The Diabetic Foot Ulcer Assessment tool used in this study has five scores (categories) ranging from 0(low risk) to 3A (high risk). The higher the score is the higher the risk for diabetic foot ulcer. Each care provider assessed participating patients for foot ulcer and assigned a score for each. The five scores are 0, 1,2A,2B and 3A.
on examination day

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Raters' level of confidence
Time Frame: On examination day
Raters (care providers) level of confidence in using the tool to assess diabetic foot and plan appropriate follow up
On examination day

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Lawson Health Research Institute

Collaborators

St. Joseph's Healthcare Foundation

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Betty Harvey, Western University and St Joseph's Health Care London

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 1, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 22, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

September 22, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 7, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 11, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

December 12, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 12, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 11, 2017

Last Verified

December 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 30 (AIFA)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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