The development of global consensus guidelines on the management and prevention of the diabetic foot 2011.

Diabetic foot ulcers are the source of major suffering and very large costs for both the patient and the health-care system, and every 30 s, a leg is lost somewhere in the world. Investing in a diabetic foot care guideline can therefore be one of the most cost-effective forms of health-care expenditure, provided the guideline is goal focused and properly implemented. The objective of the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) is to develop guidelines that will reduce the effect of diabetic foot disease through cost-effective and quality health care, based on the principles of evidence-based medicine. These guidelines are produced by working groups of experts in the field and are endorsed by the more than 100 country representatives of the IWGDF. In 2009, the IWGDF invited again three working groups to write consensus guidelines on peripheral arterial disease, infection, and wound healing. New texts were produced according to a systematic review of the literature in order to inform protocols for routine care and to highlight areas that should be considered for further study. During a meeting of the members of the IWGDF in May 2011, the new set of guidelines was approved and is published in this journal.