Diabetes, Healthy Feet, and You, a multimedia education program developed by the Canadian Association of Wound Care (CAWC) with the support of the Public Health Agency of Canada and other national partners, was launched November 4 to coincide with Diabetes Awareness Month and the opening day of the CAWC 16th Annual Professional Wound Care Conference held in Calgary, Alberta.
Designed to address the rise in Canada of diabetic foot wounds, the Diabetes, Healthy Feet, and You program has the potential to reduce the incidence of diabetes-related foot ulcers and in particular, its current amputation rate by 50 percent, CAWC Chief Executive Officer Karen Philp, MD, was quoted as saying in a Canada newswire article. The website provides information and education for patients to support effective self-monitoring, early detection, treatment, and prevention of costly and potentially life-threatening diabetes-related food wounds.
“Patients are central to the program as it supports them to be a part of their own healthcare team by working with their healthcare professionals to prevent and treat diabetes foot ulcers,” Philp said.
Diabetes is the fastest-growing medical condition in Canada. According to the Canada Diabetes Association, more than 2.5 million Canadians have diabetes, an additional 700,000 have the disease but don’t know it, and by 2020, another 1.2 million are expected to be diagnosed with the disease. About 345,000 Canadians, or 15 percent of those with diabetes, will develop a preventable foot ulcer, of which 85 percent are preventable through effective prevention and treatment measures. More than 4,000 Canadians with diabetes lost limbs in 2006, and it is estimated that the 2010 number is higher.
