Diabetes affects 537 million people globally, with up to 34% developing a foot ulcer in their life, creating a major health challenge with high risk of recurrence and lower limb amputation. Foot ulceration has a significant impact on multiple levels; individual (i.e. quality of life), societal (i.e. ulcer treatment costs), and planetary (i.e. resources), highlighting the need for effective and sustainable solutions. Therapeutic or custom-made footwear is recommended for people at high risk of foot ulceration, mainly due to its biomechanical offloading features. Despite these features, footwear use adherence remains challenging, necessitating transdisciplinary collaborations to design effective footwear that is used and help reduce ulcer incidence. For such footwear to be effective and used, both biomechanical and user-related aspects need to be considered in the design
In this symposium, presenters will engage the audience in discussions about biomechanical optimization of footwear and patient-centered usability by addressing challenges and solutions for improving footwear adherence, combining scientific evidence and clinical expertise. This problem-solving discussion, being a scientific and clinical challenge, aims to create a more effective and sustainable rehabilitation footwear practice. After the session, participants will understand the state-of-the-art evidence on biomechanical and user-related principles in footwear design, be able to evaluate factors influencing patient adherence, and identify strategies for translating scientific evidence into clinical practice, while future research directions will be presented. Participants will gain practical and scientific knowledge on footwear design that helps improves efficacy and adherence, thereby making a direct contribution to clinical practice.
Statement of the objective / learning objectives
Participants will understand the state-of-the-art evidence on biomechanical and user-related principles in footwear design, be able to evaluate factors influencing patient adherence, and identify strategies for translating scientific evidence into clinical practice.
