International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot International Guidelines Series

In 1996, the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) was established to formulate evidence-based guidelines for the prevention and management of diabetic foot complications. These guidelines are internationally recognized, multidisciplinary, and derived through a rigorous scientific process, combining the expertise of clinical scientists and practitioners from across the globe. Every 20 seconds, an individual loses a limb somewhere in the world due to diabetes-related complications, and more than half of these patients will die within five years following amputation. Currently, millions of individuals with diabetes suffer from chronic, non-healing foot ulcers, which often arise due to a combination of contributing factors. Effective management of these ulcers, and ideally their prevention, relies on the collaboration of a range of healthcare professionals. This collaboration must involve integrating the most current, evidence-based practices within a coordinated multidisciplinary foot care team.

The IWGDF publishes a comprehensive set of international guidelines, with the most recent being from 2023. Updates to these guidelines are anticipated in 2027. In this International Rundown Series and in recognition of Foot Health and Defeat Diabetes Awareness Months, we will highlight the 2023 guidelines, which provide crucial recommendations for optimizing diabetic foot care.

2023 Guidelines/Recommendations

• Practical guidelines on the prevention and management of diabetes-related foot disease

• Guidelines on the prevention of foot ulcers in persons with diabetes

• Guidelines on the classification of foot ulcers in people with diabetes

• Guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of foot infection in persons with diabetes
  • In collaboration with Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

• The intersocietal guidelines on peripheral artery disease in patients with diabetes mellitus and a foot ulcer
  • In collaboration between the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF), the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS), and the American Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS).

• Guidelines on offloading foot ulcers in persons with diabetes

• Guidelines on interventions to enhance healing of foot ulcers in people with diabetes

• Guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of active Charcot’s neuro-osteo-arthropathy in persons with diabetes mellitus

• Standards for the development and methodology of the 2023 International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot Guidelines

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