ACSQHC-ARCR-321

The Australian Diabetes Foot Registry standardises data collection in High Risk Foot Services (HRFS) nationally, providing an unprecedented opportunity for audit, benchmarking, quality improvement and collaborative research. HRFS deliver specialist interdisciplinary care to people with diabetes-related foot complications, including ulceration, osteomyelitis and Charcot foot. These services are established to reduce the healthcare and individual burden of diabetes-related foot complications by coordinating care, reducing hospitalisation and improving clinical outcomes. However, prior to establishment of the ADFR, siloed and often insufficient data collection practices impeded comprehensive outcome evaluation. With introduction of a national HRFS Standards and Accreditation program by the National Association of Diabetes Centres, the need for national data collection, centralised support and infrastructure to meet quality improvement standards was recognised. The primary objective of the ADFR is to develop a standardised Australian diabetes repository for HRFS. Secondary objectives are to evaluate service and clinical outcomes, perform national benchmarking, provide reports to participating services, and establish a platform for local and collaborative research. Data is prospectively and longitudinally collected on people with diabetes and one or more active foot complications attending a participating HRFS. The project has ethics approval under the National Mutual Acceptance Scheme with an opt-out consent approach (waiver of consent in WA and NT). Data and outcome domains span participant demographics, diabetes characteristics, comorbidities, ulceration characteristics and classification, Charcot foot characteristics and classification, referral processes, telehealth utilisation, interdisciplinary involvement, offloading practices, antibiotic prescription, hospitalisations, surgical interventions including amputation, service wait times, remission and recurrence of complications, and service separation.