Management recommendations for diabetic foot patients. Instructional course.

How was this research conducted?

This article is a narrative review prepared at the invitation of "Revista Colombiana de Ortopedia y Traumatología" under Elsevier imprint in collaboration with a multidisciplinary group of renowned Latin American experts—all key opinion leaders in the field of diabetic foot care. The instructional material underwent external, peer reviewed prior to publication and available via open access through the world's largest scientific publishing imprint.

Why is it important?

This chapter incorporates updates from the last 20 years regarding the management of diabetic foot, addressing both conceptual shifts and the rationale—based on objective criteria—underpinning the therapeutic approach to this condition. Developing this review took nearly a year; thirty-two thousand publications representing various levels of scientific evidence were evaluated, and the most relevant ones were ultimately selected to establish a framework for objective, evidence-based therapeutic decision-making tailored to specific clinical presentations. The chapter features management algorithms that include comprehensive updates on biological therapies alongside traditional chemical-pharmaceutical treatments, as well as descriptions of the utility of emerging non-pharmacological and non-biological technologies, rehabilitation, and surgery.

This chapter is aimed at healthcare professionals across all disciplines as well as patients, given that individuals with diabetes require the kind of "transdisciplinary" management discussed here. With more than 200,000 views in both languages (english and spanish), this article has become a Latin American benchmark for diabetic foot management.