Diabetic Foot Community Care Programme: A Report from Rotary Club of Admiralty

We are proud to share the achievements of our Diabetic Foot Community Care Programme (14 November 2024 – 28 March 2025), an initiative recognized with two prestigious honors: Champion of the Impact Maker Competition Rotary District 3450 and First Runner Up in the District Services Award. This programme was born from a critical need: with over 730,000 diabetes patients in Hong Kong, 4-10% face foot ulcers, and unmanaged cases can lead to amputations. Our goal? To tackle this through early detection, prevention, and education.

For more details, visit our official webpage: https://www.dfccp.com and follow our YouTube channel for programme highlights and educational content.

Programme Objectives

We focused on four key goals:

1. Raise awareness of diabetic foot complications and prevention among at-risk individuals.
2. Conduct comprehensive foot assessments, including neuropathy tests, foot pressure evaluations, and vascular checks (Ankle-Brachial Index ≤0.9 or ≥1.3).
3. Provide custom foot orthoses to high-risk patients to prevent ulcers.
4. Empower patients with self-care knowledge via educational workshops.

How We Delivered the Programme

Partnering with 8 District Health Centres (DHCs), we ensured wide community reach. Here’s how we executed it:

• Assessment Sessions: Each DHC hosted 2-day sessions, serving 80–90 participants per centre.
• High-Risk Support: 275 high-risk patients (43.3% of total) were referred to pedorthic centres for custom foot orthoses.
• Free Services: All assessments, orthoses, and educational materials were fully funded by our club.
• Education: 100% of participants joined interactive workshops on diabetic foot care.

Key Findings & Impact

We assessed 635 diabetic patients, with striking insights:

• Clinical Risks: 37.3% had peripheral vessel abnormalities; 54.0% showed peripheral nerve abnormalities, with 22.0% experiencing severe loss.
• Disease Progression: Patients with ≥20 years of diabetes had higher rates of combined vessel and nerve issues (23.8%), and severe cases rose from 9.9% (≤5 years) to 13.1% (≥20 years).

By identifying high-risk cases early, we prevented potential ulcers and amputations—directly improving patients’ quality of life.

Collaboration Makes It Possible

None of this would have happened without our partners:

• 8 District Health Centres (venues and patient referrals)
• Hong Kong Society for Diabetic Limb Care (clinical expertise)
• Hong Kong Pedorthic Association (assessments and custom orthoses)
• Hong Kong Academy of Nursing and Midwifery (training support)
• Tung Wah College, School of Nursing (nursing student involvement)

Feedback & Recognition

Participants expressed deep gratitude for accessible, high-quality care, and DHCs strongly requested the programme’s continuation. In addition to the awards mentioned, we received endorsement from Rotary International District 3450.

Looking Ahead

We’re expanding! Next steps include:

1. Securing funding via Rotary Global Grant.
2. Reach the unreachable diabetics via going into underprivileged communities
3. Growing our volunteer network (training Rotary members as assessors/coordinators).
4. Strengthening academic partnerships to involve more nursing students.

This programme proves that community-driven initiatives can make a tangible difference in public health. Together, we’re committed to reducing diabetic foot complications across Hong Kong.

Dr. Heston Kwong
Rotary Club of Admiralty
16 April 2025