Diabetic foot resulting from post-earthquake care deficiencies

Aims: After natural disasters such as earthquakes, which affect many people, there can be an increase in flare-ups of chronic diseases because of the chaos, destruction, and insufficient resources resulting from the disaster. The aim of this study was to evaluate cases of diabetic foot that developed due to lack of care after an earthquake in Türkiye. Methods: This descriptive research was conducted in the diabetic foot clinic of a training and research hospital between March and September 2023. Socio-demographic and diabetic foot-related data were recorded. In addition, in-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted individually with each patient using semi-structured questions based on qualitative descriptive methods. Diabetes education given during the wound healing process was also evaluated. Results: The study included nine diabetic foot patients (mean age: 58.11±12.05 years, all male), with a mean diabetes duration of 17.33±8.7 years. Three main themes emerged from the analysis results. There are challenges related to diabetic foot care in the earthquake region. Firstly, with or without awareness, diabetic foot ulcers can develop because of the difficult living conditions. Secondly, diabetic foot patients injured in the earthquake experience problems accessing interventions and care from healthcare teams in the region. Lastly, there is a lack of information on the prevention, protection, care, and treatment of diabetic foot in earthquake victims. Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrated that after an earthquake, diabetic patients were late to notice foot ulcers, experienced delays in accessing healthcare personnel and services, and needed information and guidance about diabetic foot.