Managing diabetic foot ulcers: best practice

The need for standardised care in diabetes has been highlighted by the development of numerous clinical guidelines and best practice statements from key sources such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2004); the Department of Health (Dept of Health, 2001); the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, (SIGN, 2001), and the Royal College of General Practitioners (Hutchinson et al, 2000) (Table 1). New evidence is constantly emerging within the field of diabetes care, making it difficult for the non-specialist practitioner to remain up-todate with current best evidence. This review aims to identify the basic requirements of diabetic foot examination and to define best practice for effective management of diabetic foot ulceration through the exploration of 10 key elements