Patients at moderate to high risk of diabetic foot ulcers require medical-grade footwear and should self-monitor foot skin temperatures daily for early signs of ulceration, updated guidelines suggest.

Doctors are also advised to diagnose foot infections based on the presence of at least two symptoms of local inflammation, including swelling/induration, erythema, tenderness/pain, warmth, or purulent discharge.

The new guidelines for diabetes-related foot disease — developed by Diabetes Feet Australia — include 98 recommendations for prevention, wound classification, infection management, wound healing, pressure offloading, and peripheral artery disease.

Associate Professor Gary Kilov, from the University of Melbourne, told AusDoc it was a “timely update” that augmented existing diabetes management guidelines.