The impact of COVID-19 on the care of diabetic foot ulcers: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant and on-going impact on the delivery of health and social care services across the globe due to imposed restrictions required to control the spread of the virus. This, undoubtedly, impacted population health through disruption to healthcare services and delayed delivery of care. The impact of these restrictions and precautions were especially pertinent to those who were deemed at high risk of developing complications from COVID-19, for example, those living with chronic disease and significant comorbidities including diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic foot ulceration (DFU). Objectives: The objectives of this scoping review are to conduct a systematic search of the literature to identify the nature and extent of the research evidence to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacted and disrupted the care of DFU and the subsequent impact on patient outcomes. Secondly, to identify transformation in models of care and service delivery, adoption of new technologies and new models of service innovations including modalities such as telehealth that were adopted during the pandemic. Methods: This systematic scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Discussion: It is well established that DFU are a devastating complication of DM that cause significant morbidity and mortality, however, there is a need to establish the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on those living with DFU during the pandemic. We will synthesise and appraise the current literature to provide an in depth understanding of the impact of COVID-19 and the global response on the care of DFU including radical transformation in models of care and service delivery, adoption of new technologies and new models of service innovations, including modalities such as telehealth.