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Good diabetic foot-care practices were uncommon across 24 Chinese studies

Frontiers in Public Health (PubMed)Sep 4, 2026

AI-summarized from the linked source. Educational brief, not medical advice.

Brief summary

A systematic review of Chinese adults with diabetes found that favorable attitudes toward foot care were common, but good knowledge and good self-care practices were not.

What NurseJet pulled from the source

The review included 24 cross-sectional studies with 6,124 participants across 13 provinces or municipalities. Pooled estimates classified 26% as having good knowledge and 10% as having good foot-care practices, while 45% had poor practices; heterogeneity was substantial for most outcomes.

Why this matters for nurses

Nurses routinely assess feet, reinforce self-care, and identify barriers before an ulcer develops or worsens. The gap between favorable attitudes and reported practice suggests education should include observation or teach-back rather than relying on stated willingness alone.

Bedside takeaway

Verify daily foot-care behaviors with teach-back or return demonstration instead of relying on favorable attitudes alone.

Key takeaways

  • The pooled estimate for favorable attitudes was 67%, but attitude did not consistently translate into good self-care practice.
  • Knowledge was classified as poor for 33%, satisfactory for 43%, and good for 26% of participants.
  • All included studies were cross-sectional, so the findings describe education and behavior gaps rather than causes or intervention effects.

Practice implications

  • Assess what the patient actually does for daily foot care, use teach-back or return demonstration for the approved education plan, document skin or sensation concerns, and route wounds, ischemic signs, infection concerns, or footwear problems through the local diabetes or wound-care pathway.

Limitations & cautions

  • All studies were cross-sectional and limited to adults in China, measurement tools varied, and heterogeneity was substantial. The pooled proportions do not show that any particular education strategy prevents ulcers or improves clinical outcomes.
  • AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.

Citations

Exact source links

Public citations are filtered to exact credible source pages. Homepage-only or invalid links stay in admin review and are not shown here.

Frontiers in Public Health (PubMed)

Frontiers in Public Health (PubMed). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding diabetic foot care among patients with diabetes in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Open original source

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42761135/

Professional education only

This summary does not replace clinical judgment, facility policy, provider orders, or official guidelines. Verify practice changes against the original source and local protocol.

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