Screening for diabetes in lower limb amputees: a pilot study

The Saint Vincent Declaration includes Ei-year targets to improve the outcome of diabetic patients as a central tenet. Meeting these targets requires a comprehensive screening and monitoring programme to establish the current incidence of diabetic complications and show that the major goals of the declaration are being achieved. The Scottish Physiotherapy Amputee Research Group and the Scottish Vascular Audit Group jointly organized a three month prospective screening programme of 146 patients presenting for a lower limb amputation. The results suggest that a significant proportion of patients have undiagnosed diabetes. Further, only around half of the patients eligible for testing actually had a test done, highlighting the difficulties associated establishing a national screening programme. This programme is now ongoing and particular importance is being given to improving the proportion of patients actually being tested.