Queensland Diabetes Footcare Hubs Study
Synopsis
Why the research project is important
Diabetes is the most rapidly growing cause of the global disease burden, with diabetes foot disease (DFD) contributing to >50% of the diabetes burden. In Australia, DFD is a leading cause of disability.
Evidence-based footcare halves hospitalisations and amputations, however only 20-52% of people with DFD in major cities received evidence-based footcare.
Key barriers to receiving evidence-based footcare include poor disease detection, poor self-care, and lack of access. These barriers are further magnified in rural locations.
What the research seeks to do
The QFeet Study aims to implement, evaluate, and scale-up the Diabetes Footcare Hub (‘DFootHub’) model of care for people with diabetes foot disease living in regional and remote areas of Queensland.
The model of care has three core components: a Navigator, an Interdisciplinary Footcare Team and a Community Digital Platform. The Navigator facilitates connections between the expert Interdisciplinary Footcare Team situated in a major metropolitan hospital (‘hub’) and people with DFD in a rural health and hospital service (HHS) (‘spoke’), utilising the digital platform tools.
This model of care seeks to improve and sustain access to evidence-based footcare for rural people with DFD.
What are the research outcomes/ impact
This study will support implementation of the model of care across two regions in Queensland, including two hubs and five spokes.
The study will also robustly evaluate the model and its impact using a hybrid effectiveness-implementation study design, guided by best practice implementation science frameworks, to determine their impact on reach/access, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, sustainability, and the potential for scalability.
Funding Body
This study has been funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnership Grant (GNT #2032912). The study is led by researchers from the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation at QUT, in partnership with James Cook University, Griffith University, Townsville Hospital and Health Service, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Metro South Hospital and Health Service, Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, Australian Diabetes Society and Clinical Excellence Queensland.
Further Details
For further information, please contact Ruth Tulleners, Research Project Coordinator, at ruth.tulleners@qut.edu.au.
