Registed Nurses' Association of Ontario

Implementation Resources

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Learn how to conduct a foot risk assessment for clients with known diabetes, provide basic education for the prevention of foot ulcers and refer clients at higher risk for foot ulcers or amputation to specialist resources.

Incorporate Best Practice Guidelines into learning events, in order to promote evidence-based practice to student nurses and faculty in academic settings, and to nurses in practice settings.

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When Jane Rosenberg was a nursing student, using restraints was common practice. "Although I wasn't comfortable using restraints, I followed orders," she recalls. In those days, it was frowned upon for nursing students to rock the boat. But she knew restraints threatened the dignity of her residents, so she made a quiet commitment to pursue a change.

Approximately 1.53 million Ontarians are living with diabetes and between 16,600 and 27,600 may develop a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU).1 The direct healthcare costs for DFU are between $320 to $400 million and indirect costs are between $35 to $60 million.1 Offloading devices (devices that relieve pressure) have demonstrated substantial cost savings. An offloading device can cost between $100 (removable cast walker) to $1,500 (total contact casting), as opposed to $70,000 per amputation. The estimated cost savings for Ontario is between $48 to $75 million per year due to saved limbs.