SOCKSESS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
SOCKSESS Co-designing a digital health intervention: smart sensing socks for monitoring diabetic feet and preventing ulceration
IRAS ID
323631
Contact name
Katherine Bradbury
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 12 days
Research summary
Diabetes damages nerves in the feet, known as 'neuropathy', affecting 1 in every 2 people with diabetes. This can cause people to lose all sensation and feeling in their feet and means that people with diabetes and neuropathy put excessive pressure on their feet without knowing. With nerves that are damaged, people do not have any natural way of knowing how much pressure they put on their feet and can literally wear a hole in the bottom of their foot, known as a diabetic foot ulcer. Although they can start off as a small hole in the foot, a diabetic foot ulcer can become infected and someone may need to have part of their foot or leg removed (amputated) to stop the infection and save their life. In the UK, there are over 120 amputations every week because of a diabetic foot ulcer.
The 'Socksess' project aims to co-design a new technology (a smart-sensing sock and feedback system) to help make people with diabetes aware of how much pressure they put on their feet and prevent ulcers. This application refers to a programme of research within the overall project that will use the Person-Based Approach to better understand the needs and preferences of target users (people with and at risk of diabetic foot ulcer, their carers and clinicians) to help inform the development of the technology.
Methods:
1) Assemble a stakeholder group of ~10 patients experts to meet monthly
2) Interview ~20-30 people with/at risk of diabetic foot ulcer, and their carers to explore their perceptions, and any perceived potential barriers and facilitators to adoption and long-term use of the technology.
3) Conduct focus groups with ~10 clinicians to explore their perceptions, and any perceived barriers and facilitators to the use of the technology within the NHS.REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SC/0098
Date of REC Opinion
16 Mar 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion