Preventing and managing diabetic foot ulcers: application of Orem’s self-care model

One of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus is a diabetic foot ulcer. Thus, managing and preventing this complication is a main priority for health professionals, especially for nurses. This study was designed to investigate the application of Orem’s self-care deficit theory on prevention and management of diabetic foot ulcer. This quasi-experimental study was conducted in Urmia, Iran. Purposive sampling was used to select 60 patients and they were allocated into two groups. Two patients in the intervention group were excluded due to amputation and four patients from each group left the study because of unwillingness to complete the study. The intervention group received two self-care training sessions and home visits for 12 weeks, but the control group received the routine care. Data were collected using a questionnaire which consisted of four parts (demographic data, self- care status, need assessments based on Orem model, and Saint Elian Wound Score System). Data were analyzed by SPSS software (ver. 16). A significant difference was found between two groups regarding self-care mean scores, number of affected zones, ischemia, infection, and wound healing phase (p < 0.05). Application of Orem’s self-care model could be helpful for the management of diabetic foot ulcers and could change patients’ lives by lowering the risk of amputation and medical costs.