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Training courses for footwear manufacturers, healthcare professionals and people with diabetes developed and validated by European experts
An article by INESCOP - Footwear Technology Centre in Alicante, Spain
Because top-down approaches rarely work in the field of training, and because inputs from footwear technicians, health professionals, shoe-shop assistants, and patients should be highly valued, the topics to be developed in education material were first put to test and validated through online questionnaires, each of them for a specific target group.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE FIRST RESULTS: STAKEHOLDERS
At present, the project is still at an early stage, but some of the work that the DiaSHOE partners are carrying out to develop the training materials is showing results.
In February 2021, experts from footwear companies, namely footwear designers, technicians and managers, participated in the validation of the topics that DiaSHOE partners are currently developing in the training materials. The participation of companies in the validations of topics has been remarkably high, doubling the number of expected responses, of which more than half came from footwear experts.
As the project progresses, it is necessary to involve other stakeholders such as health professionals and shoe-shop assistants, for whom specific training material will also be developed. The validation of the topics for these two target groups was conducted in May, and very positive results have been obtained: 75% of the experts involved in the validation were health professionals and shoe-shop assistants. Thanks to the collaboration of these stakeholders, it has been possible to adjust the first topics that were presented according to their informed input and recommendations.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE FIRST RESULTS: TOPICS
Footwear designers, technicians and managers validated with the highest rank (i.e. < 80%) all topics. In particular, they showed special interest in those topics related to the anatomy of the diabetic foot, the functionality of footwear, materials and components, and the most suitable design, construction and production methods for the production of diabetic footwear.
That was also the case for health professionals and assistants in shoe-shop and orthopaedic clinics who validated all topics with the highest rank (i.e. < 80%). They showed particular interest in the topics related to the control parameters in diabetic footwear and the patients' need for diabetic footwear.
AN EVER-EVOLVING PROJECT
The developed education material will be implemented through a piloting phase in partner countries. This will allow for adjustments as well as knowledge transfer between front-line footwear technicians, health professions, and shoe-shop assistants, and the project team.
An article by INESCOP - Footwear Technology Centre in Alicante, Spain