Foot Care Interventions for Low-risk Diabetic Patients and those Without Foot Ulcers: A Mapping Review

Patient education on appropriate self-care has the potential to play a crucial role in preventing foot complications. No current reviews explored the evidence of foot care interventions (FCIs) for diabetic patients who are at low risk for diabetic foot ulcers (LR-DFUs). This mapping review aimed to identify existing evidence of the core components of FCI for diabetic patients who are LR-DFUs and without DFUs. Methods: This review was undertaken using the Joanne Briggs Institute (JBI) guidance. The following electronic databases were searched for articles from data first indicated date through to June 2021: CINAHL, EMBASE, Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Science Direct, and ASSIA. APA PsycArticles, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, and institutional websites by using search terms related to foot care and diabetes mellitus. A narrative synthesis was used to summarize the data. Results: In total, 18 studies were included in this review. Of these, there were 12 comparative studies, six observational studies and 12 reports of footcare education. The review included studies representing low- and high-resource settings and presented the core components of FCI for patients who are LR-DFUs and without DFUs. Conclusion: Core components of FCIs can be applied to develop targeted FCIs for education.