The necessity of home care in a diabetic foot patient arose essentially because of two reasons
#Most diabetics foot patients are frail individuals who cannot be ferried to and fro to a clinic
#Moreover the relatives or caregivers associated with care of a diabetic foot patient are likely to be working people who cannot take leave off and on from their place of work.
#This problem was compounded multiple times during the covid-19 pandemic where patients were either afraid of venturing out or were advised not to in view of their comorbid conditions.
With this in mind Dfc_india (Diabetic Foot Clinic) decided to start home care and home visits for diabetic foot patients
The home visits thus were divided in three categories
Category 1
A telephone video call was made where the patients foot and the general condition was observed and treatment instituted by an online prescription and advise as per the assessment on the video call. All this was done after studying the patient’s complete history, medications, comorbid conditions prior to the consultation
Category 2
An attendant trained in diabetic foot treatment is sent to the patient’s home with basic equipment like a hand held Doppler, biothesiometer and a dressing kit. The trained attendant would then be examining the patient at home for neuropathy, angiopathy or bloodflow and a clinical examination. A video call is made simultaneouly where the attendant narrates her findings and assessment to the doctors who can then send the prescription and advice online.
Category 3
A doctor from the team of Dfc_india will personally visit the patient at home assess the patient, perform the possible test and advise accordingly
Our team at Dfc_india were extremely happy to establish this module and serve the patients in the Comforts of their home, in the safety of their home at the same time without any delay in instituting the right treatment.
It is VERY important to note that online consultations and assessment can never replace examination at the clinic. However in the given situation and the issues faced with the Diabetic foot patients this seems to be the best option to prevent complications of a diabetic foot and ultimately preventing gangrene and amputations.
