CARE-D-FOOT-Nav Pilot

The CARE-D-Foot-Nav (Comprehensive Assistance and Resources for Effective Diabetic Foot Navigation) study is a pilot trial testing whether a patient navigator-led intervention can improve healing outcomes for patients hospitalized with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). DFUs are a serious complication of diabetes that contribute to over 100,000 amputations annually in the U.S. and account for a significant portion of diabetes-related healthcare costs. DFU healing rates remain low in the US. DFUs that fail to heal within 30 days are at a higher risk. Unfortunately, there is a resurgence in diabetes-related amputations. Healing requires complex, multidisciplinary care, focused on glycemic control, wound management, vascular disease treatment, and infection therapy. A strategy to facilitate multidisciplinary DFU care and support patients in their healing journey that can be widely implemented is essential to improve DFU healing rates and curb the diabetes-related limb loss pandemic, particularly for underserved and high-risk populations. Patient navigators are healthcare personnel who mitigate barriers to care by facilitating care logistics, connecting patients to available resources, and promoting patient engagement. While navigators have been shown to improve diabetes outcomes, their effectiveness in improving DFU care and promoting healing remains untested. Informed by extensive preliminary data and community input, the investigators developed the CARE-D-Foot-Nav (Comprehensive Assistance and Resources for Effective Diabetic Foot Navigation) program. This study aims to determine whether the CARE-D-Foot-Nav program improves DFU healing rates, enhances patient engagement, and can be implemented cost-effectively.