Diabetic Foot Ulcer Prevention and Care
Course #30150 - $30 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
Diabetic foot ulcers are among the most serious and costly complications of diabetes and are a leading cause of infection, hospitalization, lower-extremity amputation, and diminished quality of life. This continuing education activity provides nurses with a comprehensive review of the pathophysiology, risk factors, prevention, assessment, and management of diabetic foot ulcers. The course examines the roles of peripheral neuropathy, peripheral arterial disease, Charcot neuroarthropathy, foot deformities, and other contributing factors that increase the risk of ulcer development. Participants will learn how to perform focused diabetic foot assessments, recognize early signs of complications, and implement evidence-based prevention strategies, including patient education, footwear selection, and routine foot surveillance. The activity also reviews current approaches to ulcer management, including offloading, wound assessment, debridement, infection management, advanced wound therapies, and recurrence prevention. Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary collaboration and the nurse's critical role in identifying at-risk patients, promoting self-care, supporting wound healing, and reducing the incidence of ulcer-related complications and amputations.
This course is designed for nurses in all practice settings caring for patients with diabetes at risk for or experiencing foot ulcers.
The purpose of this course is to improve nurses' knowledge, skills, and clinical practice related to the assessment, prevention, and management of diabetic foot ulcers and the prevention of ulcer recurrence.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Describe how diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, peripheral arterial disease, foot deformity, Charcot neuroarthropathy, and other risk factors contribute to the development of diabetic foot ulcers.
- Perform a focused diabetic foot assessment that includes skin integrity, protective sensation, vascular status, foot structure and deformity, footwear, and other factors that influence ulcer risk.
- Discuss key aspects of patient education related to diabetic foot care.
- Identify evidence-based strategies for preventing and managing diabetic foot ulcers.
- Develop strategies to promote healing of diabetic foot ulcers and related infections.
- Evaluation approaches to preventing recurrence of diabetic foot ulcers.
Maryam Mamou, BSN, RN, CRRN, CWOCN, is an Irish-trained RN who has lived and worked in the United States for 20 years. During her career, she has completed a BSN and went on to become a certified rehabilitation nurse, a certified life care planner, and more recently a certified wound ostomy and continence nurse. She is a graduate of the wound ostomy and continence program at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and is nationally certified in these areas.
Ms. Mamou has worked in various rehabilitation settings and has first-hand experience of how pressure ulcers impact patients' recovery and quality of life. She has held positions as staff nurse, unit coordinator, educator, and director of nursing in home health care. She has been involved in developing and implementing several staff education programs in a variety of settings. She was most recently employed as a wound ostomy and continence nurse at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, Alabama.
Contributing faculty, Maryam Mamou, BSN, RN, CRRN, CWOCN, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Mary Franks, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
The division planner has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.