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Optimal Organization of Health Care in Diabetic Foot Disease: Introduction to the Eurodiale StudyDivision of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Maastricht, P. Debeyelaan 25, PO Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands; leonne.prompers{at}intmed.unimaas.nl
Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands
Department of Endocrinology, University of Malmö, Malmö, Sweden
Diabetes Centre, Tameside General Hospital, Ashton under Lyne, United Kingdom
U.O. Semplice Piede Diabetico, Dipartimento di Endocrinologia e Metabolismo, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy
Chair IDF Consultative Section and International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot, Heemstede, the Netherlands
Diabetic Department, Kings College Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Copenhagen Wound Healing Centre, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
Diabetes Centre, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
Department of Endocrinology & Nutrition, Hospital de Sant Pau, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
Swedish Institute for Health Economics, Lund, Sweden
Innere Abteilung, Mariannen Hospital, Werl, Germany
Mathias-Spital, Diabetic Department, Rheine, Germany
Policlinico Tor Vergata, Department of Internal Medicine, Rome, Italy
Department of Endocrinology, University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia
St Joseph Clinic, Department of Endocrinology, Bornen, Belgium
Department of Surgery, Twenteborg Ziekenhuis, Almelo, the Netherlands
Department of Health Organization, Policy and Economics, University of Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands
This article describes the rationale and protocol of a large data collection study in patients with new diabetic foot ulcers by the Eurodiale study group, a consortium of centers of expertise in the field of diabetic foot disease within Europe. This study is a multicenter, observational, prospective data collection study. Its main aim is to determine the major factors determining clinical outcome and outcome in terms of health-related quality of life and health care consumption. Between September 1, 2003, and October 1, 2004, in 14 European centers, all consecutive patients with diabetes and a new foot ulcer were included in the study and followed until the end point or for a maximum of 1 year. End points were healing of the foot, major amputation, or death. Data were collected on patient, foot, and ulcer characteristics and on diagnostic and management procedures. Furthermore, data were collected on health care organization, quality of life, and resource use. A total of 1232 patients were included in the study. Sixty-three percent of the patients were referred by their general practitioner or were self-referrals. Twenty-seven percent of the patients were admitted at the time of inclusion; 1088 patients were followed until the end point. "Optimal Organization of Health Care in Diabetic Foot Disease" is one of the first large multicenter studies in the field of diabetic foot disease on clinical presentation, clinical outcome, quality of life, resource utilization, and health care organization and their interrelationships. These data will provide us with new insights that enable us to improve care for these patients and guide the development of new studies in this area. The results of this study are the subject of a separate presentation.
Key Words: diabetic foot ulcer • outcome • health care organization • quality of life • resource utilization
The International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, Vol. 6, No. 1,
11-17 (2007) This article has been cited by other articles:
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