Experiences of living with, managing, and preventing reoccurrence of diabetic foot ulcers
We explored the growing interest in people's lived experiences of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).
Diabetes is a major global health concern, with DFUs being a common complication.
Research has highlighted the disruptive and extended impact of DFUs. This has mainly focused on the role of the individual in their development and management of DFUs, looking at factors such as a person’s physical capabilities, their personal choices and general DFU knowledge. The influence of other factors has received limited attention, and further research is needed. To fill this important gap, we set out to explore people’s experiences of DFUs in a very distinctive analytical manner.
Methodology
Interviews with a sample of 35 REDUCE trial participants, all of whom were individuals with a recently healed DFU. These interviews were conducted over the telephone or as a video call and lasted between forty-five and ninety minutes.
Findings
Our analysis identified three broad themes:
- The wide range of physical experiences associated with DFUs.
- How these experiences interact with other health conditions.
- How living with DFUs is shaped by wider life circumstances.
Considerable variation was seen within each theme. In particular, broader life circumstances strongly shaped how people experienced, managed, and tried to prevent the return of DFUs, in ways that have not been fully recognised before. Experiences of DFUs are more complex and nuanced than previously reported, subject to influences outside an individual’s control. We suggest that identifying these sorts of complexities in illness experiences may require larger and more varied samples and data sets than have become the norm in qualitative health research, as well as input from other disciplinary lenses. This helps to identify important practical implications for the provision of sensitive and effective support and clinical care.
Patient, Carer and Family Member contributions
The REDUCE programme Patient and Public Involvement group, a selected group of members from the public, including patients, were involved in the development of the research programme and the interview topic guide used in this research.
Read the publication
Hart RI, Rankin D, Game F, Vedhara K, Lawton J. Experiences of living with, managing, and preventing reoccurrence of Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Restoring context and complexity to health and illness research. Health (London). 2025 Nov 8:13634593251387548. https://doi.org/10.1177/13634593251387548. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41204769.
