Nursing Management of Diabetic Foot

Running head: NURSING MANAGEMENT OF DIABETIC FOOT 1
Nursing Management of Diabetic Foot
Name
Institutional affiliation

NURSING MANAGEMENT OF DIABETIC FOOT 2
Introduction
Reports emanating from the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicate that by 2000,
the number of patients suffering from diabetes had reached 171 million with the figure being
prospected to escalate to 380 million by the year 2025 (WHO, 2016). Existing evidence is
enough demonstration of the sub sequential consequences that have prevailed on the patients
themselves, providers of healthcare and to the community at large. To the patients, for instance,
Diabetes malady leads to excess glucose (a type of sugar) in their blood. As times moves by,
surplus content of glucose in the blood damages the body's organs. Conceivable impediments
include damage to small (microvascular) and large (macrovascular) blood vessels, which can
contribute to stroke, heart attack, and complications with the gums, nerves, feet, kidneys, and
eyes. The solution to this menace can only therefore be attained through close interrelationships
between people and health systems. Previous studies have also gone further into proving that of
all diabetic patients, 15% of them will suffer from diabetic foot ulcer throughout their entire life.
Diabetic patients find this type of ulcer as the most common cause of their hospitalization.
It is worth noting that whenever adequate care is not availed to diabetic foot ulcers,
severe conditions which include gangrene, other infections, amputations and even death may
result (McDermott, 2016). Risk factors associated with the progress of diabetic foot ulcers are
older age, cigarette smoking, infection, poor glycemic control, ischemia of small and large blood
vessels, previous foot ulcerations or amputations, diabetic neuropathy, and peripheral vascular
disease. Previous antiquity of foot disease, foot malformations which create strangely weakened
ability to look after personal care (for example visual impairment), renal failure, oedema, high
forces of pressure are further risk factors concomitant with diabetic foot ulcer. It has been
documented that the rate of amputation of the lower limbs in non-diabetic patients is generally

NURSING MANAGEMENT OF DIABETIC FOOT 3
30 times lower that of diabetic patients it has again been proven that diabetes results to one leg
being amputated every thirty seconds worldwide. Generally, two years after the first amputation,
the patient is at a 50% risk to undergo a second amputation. About three years after the
amputation of the lower limb, death occurs to more than 50% of the patients.
Benner Novice Theory
Dr. Patricia Benner, a nursing theorist formulated a model of the stages to be adopted
towards clinical competence (Benner, 2001) as documented in her book, "From Novice to
Expert: Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice." This is what later adopted the name
Benner Novice Theory. The first stage is referred to as Novice. Usually the student here is at
his/her first year of education. Such students have very limited potential of predicting the
possible outcomes of patients in particular situations. Such a student is able to recognize
complex signs and symptoms which could include variations in mental status only after exposure
to patients with similar signs. At the second stage, the student graduates to an advanced beginner.
It is here that they have already gained relevant and adequate experience to enable them
distinguish meaningful and recurrent compositions of a patient’s situation. However, although
they have already grasped substantial amounts of knowledge and knowledge, they are still in
deficit of adequate in-depth experience (Utley, 2010).
At the third stage, they are to acquire relevant competency (Siviter, 2013). Though the
student is now sailing towards nursing excellence, the main hindering block at this stage is lack
of flexibility and speed that is required of a proficient nurse. They have however mastered
relevant skills on the art of advanced organisation and planning. They however need to make
recognition of nature and patterns of clinical situations at a quicker pace so as to distinguish
themselves from advanced beginners. The student now becomes proficient at the fourth stage.

NURSING MANAGEMENT OF DIABETIC FOOT 4
Here, they are able to integrate situations wholly rather than partly (Fitzpatrick & Wallace,
2006). Proficient nurses have the capability to make modifications to plans as a way of
responding to different situations while at the same time they have the ability to tell the events
that are to occur by basing on past experiences.
The fifth and final stage is where the students become an expert in the field. Here, the
nurse is able to attain his/her goals by recognizing the demand s and resources to apply in
particular situations. Such a nurse knows exactly what is supposed to be done and therefore no
longer relies on rules for guidance whenever taking actions for any situation (Masters, 2014).
Basing on their deep experience and knowledge, they have already grasped the go about of any
kind of situation that may prevail. They have again learnt to focus on situations that are of great
relevance while at the same time dedicating less focus on irrelevant situations. Whenever they
are in deficit of experience, most probably due to the occurrence of a new event, or when events
occur contrary to expectations, expert nurses embrace the use of analytical tools in order to get
the way forward in terms of the directions to adopt in such a situation (DeLaune, Ladner,
McTier, Tollefson , & Lawrence, 2016).
Clinical project for Nursing Management of Diabetic Foot
The chief aim of this project was to identify the various factors that cause foot infections
in a diabetic patient. Also studied are the various factors that are the chief drivers towards
development of diabetic foot ulcers. Various methods of preventing the same were identified and
patient education identified as the most effective way of caring for diabetic foot. Appropriate
resources were reviewed to come up with relevant information for to boost success if the project.
In connection to this, the articles that were reviewed were, Wells, C. (2015, September).
Orchestrating Healing: a Grounded Theory of Registered Nurses Caring for Patients with