Supporting diabetic foot health in an inner-city patient population with a botanically charged cream: an interventional survey study

Introduction: Minorities with diabetes have significantly higher rates of diabetic complications, including amputation and death. These higher rates are due to differences in practice patterns, routine preventative care, education, and access to efficacious and affordable treatments. Efforts to address these inequities can assist in reducing the rates of disparate care and the highly morbid consequences of longstanding and poorly managed diabetes. This study aimed to understand patients’ personal experiences with navigating the healthcare system and how the integration of an effective OTC treatment to support diabetic foot health can change foot care routines and break down treatment barriers.Methods:This is a single center, prospective, cohort study evaluating the effectiveness of a Botanically Charged Diabetic Foot Cream (BCDFC) to support diabetic foot health in an inner-city patient population. 20 subjects participated in this semi-structured survey study gathering patient perspectives on their experiences with diabetic foot management. The survey was conducted in two phases, before and after the use of BCDFC. The 3-part study explored: 1. Patient foot care practices 2. Barriers to foot care 3. Effectiveness of the BCDFC to treat diabetic foot disease with a focus on xerosisResults:Subjects reported a multitude of barriers to adequate diabetic foot care at various levels across healthcare settings. Common themes included inadequate healthcare coverage, fragmented relationships with providers and limited access to specialists contributing to lack of preventative foot care. Subjects responded positively to treatment with the BCDFC. Noticeable improvements were seen in skin quality within the study period.Discussion: Emerging and novel treatments, including those derived from botanicals, such as the BCDFC have shown promise by improving patient driven foot care to lower the risk diabetic foot complications such as amputation in at-risk patient populations. These study findings will be used to design a real-world study to develop secondary and tertiary prevention strategies in the field of diabetic foot care.References: