Statistics show that diabetes affects 463 million people in the world (2019). In Europe, there are approximately 60 million people diagnosed with diabetes, representing nearly 8% of the European population. Complications associated with diabetes in the lower limbs such as Diabetic Foot Syndrome (DFS) are frequent. DFS can occur at any time during the patient’s life, but with proper care and the use of well-suited shoes, people with diabetes can control DFS and avoid serious complications. Footwear indeed plays a crucial role in DFS, as wearing inappropriate footwear can aggravate DFS, causing ulcers and even leading to amputation.
The project’s overall aim is to inform and guide footwear manufacturers, patients, informal caregivers, healthcare workers, and shoe-store clerks to best tackle this issue through prevention and skills development.
The project focuses on the link between Diabetic Foot Syndrome and footwear and expects to make a significant contribution to:
The project will offer training material to improve the knowledge and skills on Diabetic Foot Control of:
Footwear Technicians, Designers and Managers - The project will offer guidance on how to devise efficient manufacturing strategies to produce footwear products that are well-suited to the needs of people with diabetes.
Health Technicians and Shoe-shop clerks - The project will help them improve their skills to better advise people with diabetes on their choice of footwear and better interpret footwear-related individual medical prescriptions.
People with diabetes and their Families, and informal Caregivers and any other person who can contribute to improving the quality of life of people with diabetes - The project will offer material to better understand the relationship between Footwear and Diabetic Foot Control so that people with diabetes and their social circle can make better-informed decisions when selecting shoes.
Improve knowledge of Diabetic Foot Control through footwear in target groups that are either directly affected by diabetes, or in contact with people with diabetes (relatives, educators, informal caregivers). The project also targets health technicians and shoe-hop clerks, who are in a position to advise people with diabetes on their choice of footwear. DiaSHOE also develops training material for footwear manufacturers interested in the market opportunities of improving/differentiating their products and offering footwear for people with special needs.
Development of digital competences in a learning context in a wide range of population taking as a subject this critical and influencing issue in the public health. The expected digital upskill will achieve a visible impact due to the large slice of population who is directly or indirectly affected by Diabetes and so responding to the motto of the project.
Develop new curricula for footwear professionals (designers, technicians, managers) based on the current knowledge of the relationship between footwear and Diabetic Foot Control. These new curricula will lead to updated qualifications in the Sectoral National Qualification Framework of each partner country and contribute to improving the correspondent European Qualification Framework at sectoral level, increase the quality of education/training and the employability of the workforce in these sectors.
Advance Research and Development on Diabetic Foot Control and Footwear and contribute to growing the body of knowledge in the field.
for 3 different target groups and available in 6 languages (English, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Romanian, Czech, Polish)
Digital Education Package for designers, footwear technicians, and product managers on footwear manufacturing for Diabetic Foot Control. The package will consist of digital-based, interactive open resources to develop knowledge of the Diabetic Foot and build the adequate skills to formulate manufacturing strategies to create footwear products that are both fashionable and well-suited to the needs of people with diabetes.
Digital Education Package for health technicians and shoe shop clerks. This package will also rely on digital-based, interactive open resources, but will offer a skills-building tool to guide shoe-shop clerks and health technicians on how to advise people with diabetes on their choice of footwear, based on their situation and/or medical prescriptions.
Selfcare Digital Educational Package for Diabetic Foot Control - a package of digital-based interactive opened resources to educate on the selfcare of diabetic feet for patients, their families and relatives, teachers/educators, informal caregivers, any other supportive education personnel who are in continuous contact with them, and community in general.
More details
Lead Partner
Centro Tecnológico do Calçado de Portugal
Rua de Fundões - Devesa Velha
3700-121 S. João da Madeira - Portugal
00351 256 830 950
[email protected]
www.ctcp.pt
Communication partner
Confederation Europeenne De L'industrie de la Chaussure Asbl
Rue de la Science 14B, 1040 Bruxelles - Belgium
[email protected]
www.cec-footwearindustry.eu
