The WHO estimates that more than nine in ten deaths in Georgia are caused by NCDs which makes NCDs the main cause of mortality in the country. According to the 2013 Diabetes Atlas, 6th edition the estimated diabetes prevalence is 3% and prevalence of IGT is around 11%. Poor access to medications, lack of regular routine examinations and lack of preventive measures often cause patients to have complications to diabetes such as foot ulcers. Raise the level of primary and secondary prevention and specialized care of people living with diabetes and reduce the number of diabetes related amputations.
The project will focus on people living with diabetes; both type 1 and type 2, including children, their family members and health care professionals in 6 regions of Georgia. Educational material for both health care professionals and people with diabetes will be created. The materials will be created based on international experience. Diabetes nurses from 6 regions will be trained to be podiatric nurses. The first training will last for 7 days and the year after refreshment training will be conducted for 3 days. 11 diabetic foot rooms will be established in medical facilities that have diabetes services for population in the 6 target regions. The trained podiatric nurses will be located in these facilities and create a database with patients to be involved in training, . The project team will organize free of charge screening for diabetic patients to detect foot complications. No mass screening campaigns had been conducted for diabetic foot-related complications detections in Georgia, thus this will be the first attempt to screen diabetes population and create official statistics, and will be conducted together with National Centre of Disease Control. 180 endocrinologists, surgeons, orthopaedists, angiologists, and general practitioners will be selected for specialised training. Each training session will have a duration of 3 days and be conducted by national experts. Peer educators will be trained in management of diabetic foot problems. The training will have a duration of 5 days and will be conducted by two local experts. Material used will be the ones developed under this project. The peer educators will educate people with diabetes and their families on diabetic foot care, and the training will be done locally in the target regions. The goal is to reach almost 3,000 people with diabetes and their family members. Finally advocacy and media campaigns will be conducted at regional and national level to raise public awareness on diabetic foot problems and aimed at centralized improvement of diabetic foot prevention and care strategies.
• 11 diabetic foot care and prevention cabinets has been established• 14 nurse-podiatrists have been trained and educated to fulfil their responsibilities in these cabinets• 203 health care providers have been trained in basic diabetes care• Educational programs, various materials, tools has been developed and distributed• 5,370 patients screened for diabetes• 1552 patients with proven foot damage risk identified• 461 foot ulcers treated at the established foot clinics.• 3,320 people with diabetes/their family members have been trained in diabetic foot self-care