A PROSPECTIVE STUDY ON THE HEALING OUTCOMES OF DIABETIC FOOT ULCER AFTER THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CLINICAL PHARMACIST INTERVENTION GUIDELINE

Diabetes and its complications are rapidly becoming the world's most significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU) causes major health issues in diabetes patients. 15% to 25% of diabetic patients get affected by DFU in their life time. Diabetic foot ulcers are the cause for physical disability and poor quality of life among diabetic patients which leads to the loss of limb, major health as well economic sufferings and even death. Clinical pharmacy is a health care discipline which focuses on clinical pharmacist's involved patient care programmes to provide rationality in drugs use, to improve health and prevention and management of diseases. The aim of the study was to identify the essential domain in the management of DFU in comparison with the international standards and to implement guidelines for the effective management of Diabetic foot ulcer. The prospective study was conducted on determination of wound ulcer outcome among 50 DFU patients admitted in the surgery wards of tertiary care hospital by wound classification, switching over of antibiotics, culture tests, hospital stay, and recurrence of DFU and wound healing rate after the implementation of clinical pharmacist intervention guideline. The healing of ulcers improved outcome percentage was found to 16% in the control group and 32% in the interventional group. The ulcer healing impression was found to be healed in (4 vs. 8 patients), partially healed (10 vs. 11 patients), requiring surgical intervention (7 vs. 5 patients) and unhealed (4 vs. 1 patient) in the control vs. Intervention group, respectively. There was improved healing impression in the control vs Intervention group. Implementation of clinical pharmacist's intervention guideline and antibiotic policy brought a significant improvement in terms of reduction in the number of ulcers, size of ulcers, ulcer grade and improved ulcer healing duration.