An audit of amputations in a rural health district. Consultant Physician responsible for a district-wide diabetes service
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 449 KB
- Volume
- 14
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1357-8170
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
The objective of the study was to audit the care provided for diabetic patients undergoing amputation involving the lower limb, in order to determine if there was scope for improvements in management which might influence amputation rates. The clinical records of all diabetic patients (n=82) in a rural health district in England undergoing an amputation involving the lower limb during 1991–1995 were reviewed, and actual management was compared with that suggested in local guidelines. In both primary and secondary care there was found to be considerable potential for improvements in clinical practice which might lead to a reduction in amputation rates. Guidelines are unlikely to be successful unless they are introduced with a strategy for their implementation.