Advocating for better feet health outcomes for people living with diabetes.
In 2017, DFA developed and published the landmark document "The Australian DFD Strategy 2018-2022: The first step towards ending avoidable amputations within a generation". This strategic document set the national agenda for improving the lives of people with living with diabetes and has been used by stakeholders to guide their DFD activities. The strategy focuses on three key areas: Access to care, safe quality care, and research & development.
And in November 2024, we're launching the draft of the "2025-2030 National DFD Strategy" for public consultation, before the new national strategy is officially launched in early 2025.
Each year, DFA supports National Diabetes Week, NAIDOC Week, World Diabetes Day and more to help highlight their national and international advocacy objectives. And from 2024, diabetes feet health is getting its very own national annual day. Where the focus is first and foremost on feet!
Diabetes Feet Day provides the opportunity for health professionals, researchers, and those living with diabetes-related foot disease to be involved, have their say, and help drive our national objective to improve the outcomes for those living with diabetes-related foot disease. Stay tuned as we release more details on how you can be involved soon!
DFA develop and release free education for health professionals to stay up-to-date with the latest in evidence-based clinical practice, learn from global DFD experts, and focus on the latest in both national and international DFD research.
We developed the 2021 evidence-based Australian Guidelines for Diabetes-related foot disease. Provide a range of digital resources for both health professionals and those at-risk and living with diabetes-related foot disease. And also host the largest DFD Conference for DFD health professionals in the southern hemisphere every two years.
Diabetes Feet Australia focus on publications that provide better feet health outcomes for people living with diabetes. We developed and released the 2021 Australian DFD Guidelines for the first time in a decade. Published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, the guidelines provide health professionals with multidisciplinary best practice standards of care for the provision of DFD care within Australia with both a digital app and paper versions freely available to use.
We have also published the 2018 Footwear guidelines, the 2018-2022 National DFD Strategy and published the findings from a major research project investigating priority research questions according to Australian stakeholders involved in diabetes-related foot health and disease. In addition, we make submissions to government inquiries, committees and peak bodies about diabetes-related feet health and disease.
We work closely with peak bodies and stakeholders at every level to develop programs, standards, education and to advocate for diabetes-related feet health. Through our valued industry partnerships, we work with like-minded DFD focused organisations, all working to achieve better foot outcomes for people living with diabetes.
Through our corporate partnership with URGO Medical, unrestricted grant funding has contributed towards the release of the 2021 National DFD Guidelines Webinar launch series, the development of the digital & interactive DFD Guidelines platform for health professionals, and the 2023 Research Webinar Series. URGO Medical have also been our Official Conference Partner for our 2021 & 2023 DFA Conferences.
At URGO Medical Australia, we are here to heal people.
Our mission is to support healthcare professionals and make a difference in the lives of their patients. By providing evidence-based wound care treatment and support, we aim to work in partnership with healthcare professionals to move from managing wounds to healing wounds to help improve patient outcomes and reduce healing time. We have made the diabetic foot ulcer a key priority, with the aim to close wounds, save feet and save lives for patients with diabetes and eradicate amputations and death as a consequence of diabetic foot.