Evaluating a Program Process Change to Improve Completion of Foot Exams and Amputation Risk Assessments for Veterans with Diabetes

Conclusion

The goal of the VAPORHCS Comprehensive Foot Care program is to provide veterans with a program that is predictable, easy and consistent to prevent and treat foot ulcers to reduce the rate of lower limb amputations. It requires multidisciplinary team collaboration for success. Implementation of this new comprehensive program has increased the number of accurate annual foot exams, ARAs and podiatry referrals. Despite these improvements, areas of future improvement include emphasizing patient education and ongoing provider compliance with annual assessments.

Author contributions
MHG proposed the program evaluation project idea. TVQ collected and analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. MHG oversaw the project and edited the manuscript. TVQ is the guarantor of this project and takes responsibility for the contents of this journal article.

Acknowledgments
The authors thank Tyra Haebe, VAPORHCS Prevention of Amputation in Veterans Everywhere (PAVE) Manager, and the entire VAPORHCS PAVE committee for their support in this program evaluation project.