Low-cost in-shoe pressure measurement

"The successful completion of this feasibility project will generate a novel measurement system for assessing the loading that is applied on the foot-at-risk of developing a foot ulcer during activities of daily living. It therefore would have significant potential for disease prevention and proactive management of health and chronic conditions.

This novel system will be simple and easy to use and it will cost only a fraction of the cost of existing electronic in-shoe pressure sensors. This will enable its use in wide cohorts of people with diabetes to enhance prevention of ulcers through better risk assessment and evidence-based interventions. More specifically, the proposed system will open the way for new screening protocols to identify people that overload critical areas of their feet and therefore are at risk of developing an ulcer. Moreover, it will also enable healthcare professionals working on diabetic feet to identify the areas of the foot that are subjected to critically high loading and to design effective interventions to offload them. Overall the proposed system will empower clinicians to intervene early and effectively to prevent ulcerations and most importantly to prevent the first ulceration.

The management of diabetes and its complications is one of the most critical societal challenges of our age. In the UK alone, there are 3.6 million people already living with diabetes and it is estimated that approximately 15% of them will at some stage develop diabetic foot ulceration that could lead to amputation. Indeed, in the UK up to 135 people/week have a limb amputated as a result of diabetes with a huge impact on the patients' quality of life and mortality rate. The successful completion of the proposed project will significantly help address this key societal challenge.

A reduction in ulceration rates will also result in massive savings for the NHS and economic benefits for the UK. The clinical care of diabetic foot complications cost more than the five most costly forms of cancer put together. In the UK the annual direct cost of amputations and ulcer management is estimated to be between £0.97-1.13 billion/ year. Indeed, it is calculated that a modest 1% reduction in ulceration rates will translate in annual savings for NHS of £1.2 - 4.8 million in direct treatment cost."