(From the 2011 Diabetes Today Edition)
When it comes to Diabetes, the main objective of podiatrist Simone McConnie, Chief Operating Officer of the Barbados Diabetes Foundation is to reduce Barbados’ high amputee rate through the Step-by-Step Diabetes Foot Care Project for which she has been appointed project director.
Step By Step is a major award winning international project targeting a reduction in amputations caused by diabetes. The project involves Rotary Clubs in the Caribbean, England and Canada. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF), through its affiliate consultative section, the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) is also a major partner in the programme. The Barbados program is a joint effort between the Rotary club of Barbados South, Rotary of Ledbury, UK, The World Diabetes Foundation, the IWGDF, the Barbados Diabetes Foundation, the Chronic Disease Research Centre of Barbados and the Ministry of Health.
Step by Step aims to establish a sustainable, integrated and low-cost health care capacity for attending to the diabetic foot, with a resultant reduction in lower limb complications and the prevention of unnecessary amputations in people with diabetes. It comprises a two-phase training model for health care professionals (basic and advanced) and facilitates access to a pool of educational resources for use in training health care professionals as well as persons with diabetes.
To officially mark the launch of the initiative here in July 2009, a two-day workshop was hosted for health professionals at the Pan American Health Organization. The workshop focused on identifying the high-risk diabetic foot, the early recognition of pathology and the need to obtain timely referral for further care. Health care providers from St. Lucia, where Step By Step was also introduced, also attended the workshop.
A team of specialists from the UK, Germany and Tanzania who facilitated the Step By Step programme around the world were on the island to deliver the workshop. The multidisciplinary team included Ms. Alethea Foster (Podiatrist) UK (team leader), Dr. Stephan Morbach from Germany who is a specialist in diabetes management and Dr. Abbas from Tanzania, where the project was first launched. They were joined by local experts on diabetic foot care Dr. Christopher Warner, Prof. Anselm Hennis, Dr. Oscar Jordan and the Barbados-based podiatrists.
The expected outcomes for the project include: sustainable improvements in foot care; increased awareness of diabetes and its complications; improved links between civil society and diabetes healthcare professionals; and increased government involvement. Key objectives include a reduction in the number of amputations and improvements in the quality of life of many people living with diabetes in the Caribbean. The overall aim of the project is to reduce and prevent diabetic foot complications and by extension reduce amputations in people with diabetes.
The programme is now in phase two where a series of public education forums are being hosted by Rotary Club of Barbados South, the Barbados Diabetes Foundation and the Barbados Podiatry Association.
