No abstract

The Wound Healing Society (WHS) is a professional society of physicians, nurses, physical therapists, podiatrists, and other wound care specialists, basic scientists, clinical researchers, and industrial researchers dedicated to assuring that every patient receives optimal wound care. Its mission is to advance the science and practice of wound healing. To that end, the following comprehensive, evidence-and consensus-based guidelines were developed to address The Prevention of Diabetic Ulcers. The guidelines are presented in generic terms; the details of specific tests, therapies, and procedures are at the discretion of an interdisciplinary team of health care professionals who establish, implement, and evaluate policies and procedures directed at prevention of diabetic ulcers. METHODSPubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched and reviewed for evidence on arterial insufficiency ulcer prevention. In addition, a search of health care databases for current evidence-based guidelines addressing the prevention of diabetic ulcers was conducted using electronic and online resources. The panel classified studies based on whether the intervention being evaluated addressed diabetic ulcer risk screening and assessment, diabetic ulcer prevention plans of care (including interdisciplinary approaches), or patient and caregiver education.Evidence references for each standard are listed and coded. The code abbreviations for the evidence citations were as follows: