A08: Psychological Impact & Screening in Diabetic Foot Disease

Every patient with diabetic foot disease carries an emotional and cognitive load that decides whether the clinical plan is delivered. Depression, anxiety, distress, fear of amputation and impaired cognition decide whether a wound is offloaded, whether antibiotics are taken and whether the patient comes back to clinic. Nearly half (47%) of people with a diabetic foot ulcer have depressive symptoms on screening scales, yet clinical impression alone misses many cases.

The module treats psychological status as a vital sign. It teaches how to open a kind, non-judgemental conversation about coping, administer and interpret brief validated tools, and distinguish clinical depression from diabetes distress, since a negative depression screen does not exclude distress. It covers who to screen and when, illness perceptions, simple measures that reduce procedural anxiety during wound care, support around the amputation decision, and a stepped-care model that keeps the foot team in shared care.

Content is tiered at Foundation, Core and Advanced level, with screening and stepped-care algorithms and case vignettes. You receive the Teaching Document, the Evidence Base, the slide deck, a narrated video and an audio overview.