Written by

Maén Zaid Abu-Qamar,

Anne Wilson

 Previous research has demonstrated the importance of culturally oriented foot care. In order to develop appropriate foot care programmes, it is necessary to identify local patterns of diabetic foot problems. An analysis of data collected in a descriptive cross-sectional study of people with diabetes in Jordan found that 68 participants had provided narrative details on foot problems for which they had used complementary remedies. Foot problems identified by the participants were grouped into three main categories: irritant skin conditions, skin integrity and sensation. Diabetes health education programmes have the potential to teach people about their disease and how to self-manage their conditions, but also need to make patients aware that unwise use of complementary therapies may potentially worsen the disease process.