Methods: A descriptive qualitative design was used. Purposive sampling was applied for recruiting participants at the outpatient diabetes clinic at a large teaching hospital in northern Thailand. A semi-structured interview guide was used to conduct in-depth interviews with 13 participants from January to April 2017. Thematic analysis using Braun and Clarke's (2006) framework was used to analyse the data and identify the experiences of people who are living with diabetic foot ulcers.
Results: The findings from this study identified two main themes and five sub-themes for each theme. The first theme related to living with the consequences of diabetic foot ulcers. The sub-themes were: less energy and mobility, negative mental impact, lifestyle change, blood glucose fluctuations, and “Phlong” and “Thum Jai” (Mobilising personal coping strategies). The second theme related to managing diabetic foot ulcers. The sub-themes included: modern wound care, complimentary wound care, protecting the feet, managing diet, and receiving social support. The findings from this research can support health care providers to understand the lived experiences of people with diabetic foot ulcer’s so that they can help individuals to manage and control blood glucose levels and provide appropriate instructions on wound and foot care.
Conclusion: Understanding the experiences of people with diabetic foot ulcer’s is valuable for health care providers so that they can provide appropriate health care advice and assist individuals to maximise their quality of life. This study provides knowledge on how individuals with diabetic foot ulcer struggle to change their diet and provides insights into the reality of daily foot care for people with diabetic foot ulcers. Application of this new knowledge can assist health care providers to reduce diabetes complications and promote a better quality of life for people with diabetic foot ulcer’s and diabetes more generally.