Abstract

Diabetes affects 30.5 million people in the United States at an annual cost of approximately 245 billion dollars. 176 billion dollars are spent on debilitating often life threatening complications affecting the heart, kidney, eye, and nervous system. Over 69 billion dollars are spent on reduced workforce productivity. Approximately 9.9% of the United States population has diabetes, the diabetic population in Texas is 11.4% and in Collin County population is 10.2%. Hispanic populations are at a higher risk of developing diabetes at approximately 12.2% nationally.

Peripheral neuropathy commonly occurs in the lower extremities of diabetic patients increasing risks of foot complications or lower limb amputations by 15-40 times. 56,200 people annually are at risk of losing a foot or leg due to diabetes. Early education on proper foot care and preventative measures can lead to healthier more independent lives. Teach-back methods are an important component in the self-management process allowing both the provider and patient to better understand educational gaps. Incorporating self-management with healthy lifestyle behaviors assist patients in gaining a sense of ownership over their disease. Teach-back instruction on foot care techniques encourages problem-solving skills necessary to help patients address daily challenges.

Date of publication

Spring 5-2-2020

Document Type

DNP Scholarly Project

Language

english

Persistent identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10950/2589

Committee members

Ellen Fineout-Overholt, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice

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