The Value of an inventory in transfer of knowledge and organization between Sweden and the Baltic Region regarding foot complications in patients with diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Background. A request from the Baltic countries to Diabetic Foot Center Karolinska, DFCK was made in order to establish a Center of Excellence for multidisciplinary diabetic foot care. Purpose. To evaluate the importance of an Inventory was evaluated in the transfer of organization and best clinical practice for patients with diabetes mellitus and foot complications. Material and methods. An Inventory, based on an inventory list and an inventory session, of the current structural capital and requirements for a successful implementation was accomplished by the project partners. The inventory list covered the organizational and technical facilities at respective future centre. With the use of a representative diabetic foot case the different roles of the Swedish multidisciplinary team specialists was exemplified and further discussed with the local audience. The aim of this discussion was to create a positive atmosphere that would encourage and stimulate multidisciplinary organizational work and in the patient situation clearly indicate how valuable the improved interaction between the team members of a multidisciplinary team could become if the communication pathways are shortened. Any suboptimal competence of the participating specialists, i.e. diabetological, vascular surgical, orthopedic surgical and in infectious disease aspects as well as the orthopedic engineering and podiatry/ chiropodist resources in the three countries could then be estimated. The Inventory also includes evaluation of possible quality control markers. Results. In summary, we find the Inventory is an essential instrument to evaluate need of sufficient technical facilities and medical competence together with organizational structure. We found sufficient technical facilities and adequate competence but suboptimal organizational structure in all three Baltic countries. A general deficiency in quality control markers for evaluation of the [...].