Stepping towards prevention: A comprehensive review of diabetic foot care

Diabetic foot disease is one of the most serious and disabling complications of diabetes mellitus and remains a leading cause of hospitalization, infection, and lower-limb amputation worldwide. Despite being largely preventable, diabetic foot complications continue to impose a substantial public health burden, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, due to inadequate patient awareness and poor self-care practices. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed Central, Google Scholar, and Scopus. After screening titles, abstracts, and full texts, 17 studies that met the inclusion criteria were included in the review. This indicates that a significant proportion of diabetic patients demonstrate insufficient knowledge and sub optimal foot care practices, including irregular foot inspection, inadequate hygiene, inappropriate footwear use, and barefoot walking. Key determinants influencing foot care behavior include educational level, socioeconomic status, duration of diabetes, family support, diabetes-related distress, and treatment adherence. Educational- and community-based foot care interventions were consistently shown to improve patient knowledge, self-care practices, and preventive behaviors. Multidisciplinary and primary care-based approaches were effective in reducing severe foot-related outcomes. The findings of this review align with the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot 2023 recommendations, which emphasize routine foot screening, structured patient education, appropriate footwear, and early preventive care. Integrating guideline-based foot care education and regular foot assessment into routine diabetes management is essential for reducing diabetic foot complications and improving patient quality of life.