Benefit, Procedure and Consideration of the Warm Foot Baths on Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) Patients: A Review

A warm foot bath is a complementary therapy commonly used by patients with chronic illnesses like Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM). While this therapy offers benefits for T2DM patients, its effectiveness depends on the procedure and the patient's condition. Studies investigating these topics have been conducted independently, resulting in a lack of comprehensive information about warm foot bath therapy for T2DM patients.This study aims to review and synthesize previous studies related to the benefits, procedures, and considerations of warm foot baths for Type 2 Diabetes mellitus patients. We conducted a literature review study using the PRISMA approach. Articles were extracted from several databases, namely PubMed, Garda Rujukan Digital, and Google Scholar. The Mixed Method Appraisal Tool was implemented to assess the eligibility of the articles.A total of 664 articles were harvested from the databases in this study. Twelve eligible articles were identified, and several major themes were mapped. Warm foot bath therapy provided positive physical benefits when considering water temperature, duration, and the physical condition of the patient during therapy. In some cases, adding complementary substances such as aromatherapy, salts, or herbs during therapy may improve the outcomes of warm foot bath therapy for T2DM patients. Our study mapped several benefits of warm foot bath therapy. While procedures may vary, they share similar considerations regarding water temperature, duration, and the physical condition of the patient. Further studies are needed to investigate the correlation of our findings more comprehensively.