Elearn - Diabetes Feet Australia

Here at Diabetes Feet Australia, we provide insightful and practical education for health professionals, with the goal to improve feet health outcomes for people living with diabetes. So, we invite you to listen and learn from our two podcast series, which focus on not just the foot, but everything that goes along with it.

New research on diabetes feet health and disease is published almost daily, and in the last 3 years, over 250 publications featuring our very own Australian DFD researchers have been published globally. In contrast though, currently DFD receives less than 0.2% of all Australian diabetes research funding.

In our DF Podcast Research series, we're providing a national platform to showcase both Australian DFD research and researchers. So, join us for our relaxed interview series where we chat directly to leading researchers, and learn about them, their research, and the latest in diabetes feet health & disease.

In episode one of our research series, we chat with Dr Peta Tehan about her recent paper ‘How far has diabetes-related foot disease research progressed in Australia? A bibliometric review (1970–2023)’, recently published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research. The episode explores the findings of this research, highlighting the importance of prevention research and the need for more collaboration and investment in diabetes feet health research. Dr Tehan also talks about her current research in nutrition and wound healing.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Acknowledgment of Country
01:19 Research Series – why are we here?
03:44 Meet our guest - Dr Peta Tehan
11:21 About the paper
14:50 What can a bibliometric review tell us?
18:20 Headline findings
24:00 The challenge of prevention focused research
27:00 Unexpected findings
31:00 How can we take the next step in DFD Research?
32:50 Nutrition and Wound Healing Research
38:38 Conclusion

ABOUT DR PETA TEHAN

Dr Peta Tehan is a senior lecturer in the master of Wound Care program at Monash University and at a senior podiatrist at the Hunter New England health service high risk foot clinic. This combination of academia and clinical practice gives Dr Tehan a unique perspective which drives her passion for clinically translatable research. Dr Tehan was awarded her PhD in 2016 which was an investigation of non-invasive vascular assessments of the lower limb. Dr Tehan has published extensively in the field of non-invasive vascular assessment and diabetes including reliability and accuracy studies on Doppler, ankle brachial pressure indices, toe systolic pressures and toe-brachial pressure indices.

LINKS

How far has diabetes-related foot disease research progressed in Australia? A bibliometric review (1970–2023)

DFA 2018-2022 National Strategy for DFD

Biomechanical characteristics of peripheral diabetic neuropathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of findings from the gait cycle, muscle activity and dynamic barefoot plantar pressure

The unique multidisciplinarity of diabetes‐related foot disease

TAKEAWAYS

There is an urgent need for more funding and investment in diabetes-related foot disease research in Australia.

The last 10 years have seen an exponential increase in research output, but there is a lack of nationally competitive grant funding for diabetes-related foot disease research.

Prevention research is crucial but currently lacking.

Collaboration and clinical trial networks are necessary to advance research in diabetes-related foot disease.

ALSO AVAILABLE TO LISTEN ON

Diabetes Feet Australia and health professionals across the nation have recognised we need to support better foot health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, particularly those living in rural and remote communities.

An essential part of this is us listening to and developing an understanding of the lived experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples living with diabetes-related foot disease. In our DFYarn Podcast series, our aim is to listen and learn about the lived experiences of diabetes feet health and disease in our First Nations Communities, in health settings, and the impact more broadly.

In this episode, host Professor Viv Chuter listens to and learns from Michael Pigram, a proud Ngarigo and Dharug man living on Darkinjung Country. This episode privileges Michael’s teachings and his lived experiences. Michael talks about centring culture in health and healing, connection to Country, and cultural responsiveness in foot care services.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction and Acknowledgment
01:20 Living with Diabetes
06:30 Culture in Foot Health
10:25 Differences Between First Nations Health Services and Mainstream Health Services
13:07 The Importance of Time, Resources, and Support in Foot Disease Treatment
23:20 Culturally Safe and Responsive Care
26:58 Education and Step-by-Step Approaches in Foot Disease Management
29:37 The Impact of Foot Disease on Connection to Country
31:45 Conclusion

ELEANOR DUNCAN ABORIGINAL SERVICES

TAKEAWAYS

For First Nations Peoples, cultural determinants of health including family and Community, Country and place, and cultural identity are central to health and wellbeing.

Centring culture in health and healing for diabetes-related foot disease can mean delivery of services on Country, sharing decision making with family, and learning about and privileging cultural protocols.

Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services deliver holistic healthcare by First Nations people, for First Nations people.

Taking time, listening deeply to First Nations Peoples and acknowledging and being responsive to cultural needs are key for non-Indigenous health professionals to create culturally safe services.

LINKS

Our friends at SAHMRI established the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foot Complications Program in 2020 to improve foot health and reduce amputation rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with diabetes in South Australia, the Top End of the Northern Territory and Central Australia, the Kimberley region in Western Australia and Far North Queensland.

As part of this, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress have developed the Ingke Arntarnte-areme (Looking after Feet) program with educational resources to empower Central Australian Communities to keep feet healthy, to advocate for equity in foot healthcare delivery, to increase the Aboriginal Health Workforce, and to provide foot health education. These resources include an app, videos, conversation cards, posters and more. To learn more and to access these excellent resources click below!

SAHMRI Resources

Ingke-arntarnte-areme - Looking after feet

https://www.caac.org.au/looking-after-feet-ingke-arntarnte-areme/

ALSO AVAILABLE TO LISTEN ON

Here at DFA, we develop insightful and practical education, designed to keep DFD health professionals informed with the latest in DFD from an evidence-based clinical, research and practical perspective. So, check out our research series below, featuring global DFD experts. And stay tuned for our next series where we're focusing on DFD practical skills modules.

LEARN MORE & REGISTER

In 2021, we asked Australian stakeholders to help us determine the national Top 10 diabetes-related foot health and disease research priorities, and the findings from this study identified national stakeholder-agreed priority research questions for DFD for the first time. In our 2023 DFA webinar series, we tackled the top categories identified in the National Top 10 research questions from a research and clinical perspective. All six insightful and future focused webinars are now available to watch on demand for free!

LEARN MORE & REGISTER

Sample one of our webinars!

How useful is smart technology in the care of people with diabetes-related foot disease

FEATURING PROFESSOR BIJAN NAJAFI | USA

Catch up on conversation from our 2023 Webinar series where Professor Bijan Najafi (USA) walked us through the latest in DFD clinical and research technology followed by an insightful Q&A session about how useful smart technology is in the care of people living with diabetes-related foot disease.