Dubai, UAE: Diabetic Foot Academy highlights the need for more public education and professional training to understand the etiology of diabetic foot complications and its impact on patients’ limbs and lives.
The latest Diabetic Foot Academy (dfa) concluded in Jeddah recently with a set of practical recommendations jointly agreed by the faculty and participants at the largest dfa event held so far. Topping the list of recommendations was the need for more public awareness and professional education on the serious complications associated with diabetes to avoid amputations and its devastating effects on patients and their families.
The third dfa attracted over 150 medical professionals, including senior surgeons and nurses from the Ministry of Health and other GCC hospitals. The comprehensive 5 day program was fully accredited by the Saudi Health Council for Medical Specialties and the University of California, San Diego, covering all practical aspects of the pre and post surgical treatment of diabetic foot complications. Live surgeries were broadcast to the attendees in the King Fahd General Hospital in Jeddah. The academy concluded with the graduation ceremony and a panel discussion to plan the highly anticipated 4th dfa.
The academy was co-chaired by Dr Khaled Abdullah Abdulrahman Tayeb, Consultant Diabetologist & Endocrinologist, Director of the Diabetes and Endocrinology Center, Al Noor Specialist Hospital, Makkah, and one of the world’s leading experts, Professor Gerit D Mulder Director of Wound Treatment and Research, Professor of Surgery and Orthopaedics in Dept. of Surgery University of California, San Diego USA, which also accredits the dfa program. The dfa faculty comprised eminent medical professionals from Saudi Arabia, the GCC and beyond.
Commenting on the recommendations of the dfa, Dr Khaled Abdullah Abdulrahman Tayeb who is the Chairman and a member of the dfa’s international faculty, said: “I believe that public education, combined with the continuous training of medical professionals, is the key factor in fighting diabetes and reducing its burden on our society. To achieve this, we need to develop a strategic plan involving the Ministries of Health, Education, and Information, together with those responsible for the welfare of our youth. I am very optimistic that we will achieve this and the dfa is already playing an important role in the process.”
Dr Gerit Mulder Chairman of the dfa commented: “The dfa program started in 2011 as a very constructive collaboration between the Ministry of Health, the University of California and Smith & Nephew with the clear aim of improving awareness about diabetic foot problems amongst heath care professionals in order to help them deliver better care to their patients. To complement this, we also introduced for the first time a special practical teaching program for nurses, who play an essential role in patient care. We believe the dfa is making an impact and there is a need to sustain this continuing medical education program to improve diabetic foot care in Saudi Arabia.”
Dr Nashaat Ghandoura, Head of Surgical Department, Consultant General Surgery at the King Fahd General Hospital in Jeddah, who has contributed many publications on limb amputations, was a dfa faculty member: “Saving limbs by reducing the incidence of foot amputations and improving the quality of life for people with diabetes is the most important factor. Educational programs such as the dfa make a real difference and the dfa’s recommendations are all very constructive and we believe will help improve the management of diabetic foot ulcers in Saudi Arabia.”
While Diabetes is a global pandemic, Saudi Arabia is at the heart of a region with genetic predisposition to metabolic syndrome making its population particularly susceptible to diabetes thus presenting with one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world. The World Health Organisation expects the number of diabetes patients in Saudi Arabia to grow 283 per cent between 2000 and 2030, due to changes in lifestyle and diet leading to increasing levels of obesity. Saudi Arabia has the second highest rate of diabetes in the GCC, after the UAE. The MENA region has six of the world’s top 10 countries by prevalence of diabetes.
Complications associated with diabetes can be very serious and the incidence of lower limb injuries and foot ulcers amongst diabetic patients is very high, affecting up to 50 per cent of all diabetic patients. Diabetic foot ulcers are one of the most common complications and, if left untreated, can result in the amputation of the foot and serious lifestyle challenges for the patient. However, around 85 per cent of all diabetic foot amputations are unnecessary and could be avoided with better wound management.
Ms Hayfa Salman, Project Manager for the dfa at Smith & Nephew, added: “We are delighted with the outcomes of this latest Diabetic Foot Academy and the impact the program has on guiding the attendees in their daily clinical practice towards treatment of diabetic foot complications. The excellent support of the Ministry of health, the University of California and all the members of the dfa faculty, was key to the success of the program. We anticipate the dfa to continuously strengthen its impact by bringing together a broader medical community to manage the treatment of diabetic foot disease. The dfa is a genuine educational initiative and Smith and Nephew is proud to support this program which makes a real difference to people lives.”
The Diabetic Foot Academy is an educational initiative fully sponsored by Smith & Nephew with a focus on general and specific concepts on the advanced management of lower limb lesions in diabetic patients.
Diabetic Foot Academy (dfa)
dfa main lecturers:
Dr. Samer Bondoukji
Specialty: Podiatrist
Head of Foot Surgery Division at International Medical Centre, Jeddah
Surgical Clinical Instructor
Dr Nashaat Ghandoura
Head of Surgical Department, Consultant General Surgery, King Fahd General Hospital, Jeddah
Plastic Surgery Guest Lecturer
Dr Marwan Ahmad Al Zarouni
Consultant Plastic Surgeon
Head of Plastic Surgery and Wound care Unit, Rashid Hospital, Dubai
Podiatric Orthopedic Surgery Lecturer
Dr AbdulHadi AlAmoudi
Podiatric Orthopedic Consultant, King Fahd General Hospital, Jeddah
Vascular Surgery Lecturer
Dr Wesam AbuZnadah
Head of Vascular Surgery, King Khalid National Guard Hospital, Jeddah
Support Surgery Lecturer
Dr Carlo Caravaggi, Head of the Diabetic Foot Clinic, Istituto Clinico Citta Studi, Milano, Italy
The dfa is also endorsed by the Department of Surgery and Orthopaedics at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, USA.
Dr. Khaled A. Abdulrahman Tayeb
Consultant Diabetologist & Endocrinologist
Director of Diabetes & Endocrinology Center, Al Nour Specialist Hospital, Makkah
Chairman of the administrative board Sheffa Charity Association. Makkah
Dr. Tayeb is a consultant of internal medicine and endocrinology with special interest in diabetes care. He graduated from Vienna University in 1985 and since then he has been working to develop diabetes care all over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He is the founder of the Diabetes Center in Al-Noor Hospital Makkah which is one of the first centers providing multidisciplinary health care for people with diabetes in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Tayeb also headed the national diabetes committee for diabetes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 3 years and during that period, he has initiated the project of establishing 20 diabetes centers in the Kingdom and has since then working to make this project a reality to help improve diabetes care in Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Tayeb introduced the up-to-date diagnostic and therapeutic tools of diabetic foot care management including modern dressings and offloading modalities which has very much influenced the outcome of diabetic foot disease in the area. He also helped establishing other foot clinics in the region and trained groups of nurses and doctors on the subject.
Dr. Tayeb has several publications both in English and Arabic language.
Prof Gerit D Mulder, Director of Wound Treatment and Research Center, University of California San Diego. He is an internationally recognized lecturer, researcher and clinician with worldwide experience focusing heavily on salvage of the lower extremity, amputation prevention, infection control, diabetic ulcers and management of the diabetic patient.
Smith & Nephew
Smith & Nephew provides a full portfolio of products to its customers and supports its range of products with comprehensive learning and education programmes for medical staff and patients. Each year, Smith & Nephew trains more than 150,000 healthcare professionals with a full range of educational programmes.
Media contact:
Jonathan Walsh
WPR, Dubai, UAE
Mobile: +971 50 4588610
Email: jon@wprme.com
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