Coach Beverly will walk participants through the 3-Step Process to Save Feet; Assess, Screen, & Report.  She will provide simple and clear instructions on how to assess and inspect feet, along with risk assessment & action steps. We will share free teaching tools, strategies, & documentation forms adapted from the Lower Extremity Prevention Program (LEAP) that you can immediately implement in your practice setting.

Objectives:

1. Describe steps involved in effective foot assessment made easy.
2. Demonstrate how to use a monofilament to assess sensation.
3. Discuss the use of screening forms to report findings.

According to a 2019 article published in Diabetes Care, the rate of amputations in the U.S. is increasing. Each year, people with diabetes experience approximately 200,000 non-traumatic amputations. African Americans are 4 times more likely to experience diabetes-related amputation than whites. In the United States, every 17 seconds someone is diagnosed with diabetes, and every day 230 Americans with diabetes will suffer an amputation.

We can make a difference and help reverse this trend.  Basic foot care assessment and education can reduce the risk of amputation by over 50 percent. By assessing and screening for loss of protective sensation with a monofilament, diabetes healthcare professionals can immediately identify high-risk feet and take steps to protect lower extremities

We are excited to share this life-saving information with our community of diabetes advocates.

Learning Outcome:

Diabetes team members will gain the skills and knowledge needed to provide a basic lower extremity assessment and provide individualized education to protect against lower extremity complications in diabetes.

Target Audience:

This course is a knowledge-based activity designed for individuals or groups of diabetes professionals, including RNs, RDs/RDNs, Pharmacists, Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Physician Assistants, and other healthcare providers interested in staying up to date on current practices of care for people with prediabetes, diabetes, and other related conditions. The practice areas for RDs/RDNs for CDR reporting are healthcare, preventative care, wellness, and, lifestyle along with, education and research. 

CDR Performance Indicators:

• 9.6.7
• 9.6.8
• 10.3.1

Instructor: Beverly Thomassian RN, MPH, CDCES, BC-ADM is a working educator and a nationally recognized diabetes expert.