Podiatry is yet to become established in India, where the care, study of, diagnosis, and medical treatment of disorders of the foot are still the remit of the country's general practitioners.
![Dr Stuart Baird examines a patient's foot.]( "Dr Stuart Baird examines a patient's foot.")
The desperate need for specialised podiatric care in India was highlighted recently when a team of podiatrists from Scotland's Glasgow Caledonian University partnered with Calicut's Institute of Palliative Medicine and Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences to help transform the care of India's 50 million diabetics.
Professor Stuart Baird and Christine Skinner, who have previously been World Health Organisation consultants in diabetic foot disease, trained India's physicians on how to assess and manage the complications caused by diabetes, which leads to the amputation of a limb every 30 seconds around the world. The loss of sensation and poor blood supply to the feet and legs caused by diabetes contribute to a high number of amputations across India, where diabetes has been identified as a pandemic by WHO and the International Diabetes Federation.
Said Professor Baird: "There is a limited knowledge base and expertise in India and physicians have little understanding of the benefits of early identification, detection and management of diabetic foot disease, which is considered a major risk factor in non-traumatic limb amputation worldwide. We gave lectures and practical sessions so that physicians can assess feet and identify complications early and advise their patients on practical issues such as not walking barefoot when they have lost sensation in the soles of their feet. That kind of advice can make an enormous difference to patients' lives."
Glasgow Caledonian University has established a reputation for excellence in the quality of its podiatry teaching programmes and for its podiatric research programmes. Some of which include:
* BSc (Hons) in Podiatry
* MSc Theory of Podiatric Surgery
* MSc Podiatric Medicine
* Masters Podiatry and Diabetes
All four programmes expose students to hands-on experience in the clinical environment, observing and working alongside experienced practitioners.
Added Professor Baird: "Podiatry is very similar to dentistry in that there is a wide and varied scope of practice and it is a wonderfully caring profession in which you can help people with real problems. It has evolved enormously over the past four decades. Podiatrists can now use local anaesthetics, specialise in medical or surgical fields, and prescribe treatments such as antibiotics and steroids.
"Employment opportunities are excellent in podiatry. Virtually all of last year's graduates have found work in this profession, either with the National Health Service, in industry and the private sector — in everything from high street retailers to Sports Medicine centres — or as independent practitioners. The university's graduates have also gone on to pursue research activities and further develop their skills to become podiatric surgeons."
The Division of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, GCU is based at the university's School of Health and Life Sciences, which was ranked high in Scotland and in the UK top 10 for its research in allied health. . The RAE named the division one of the world's leading podiatry research centres.
As well as research projects focusing on wound healing, the university is spearheading research into the pathways leading from primary disease mechanisms such as synovitis, tenosynovitis and enthesopathy, to foot and ankle-related impairment and disability to allow it to develop innovative treatments.
The desperate need for specialised podiatric care in India was highlighted recently when a team of podiatrists from Scotland's Glasgow Caledonian University partnered with Calicut's Institute of Palliative Medicine and Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences to help transform the care of India's 50 million diabetics.Professor Stuart Baird and Christine Skinner, who have previously been World Health Organisation consultants in diabetic foot disease, trained India's physicians on how to assess and manage the complications caused by diabetes, which leads to the amputation of a limb every 30 seconds around the world. The loss of sensation and poor blood supply to the feet and legs caused by diabetes contribute to a high number of amputations across India, where diabetes has been identified as a pandemic by WHO and the International Diabetes Federation.
Said Professor Baird: "There is a limited knowledge base and expertise in India and physicians have little understanding of the benefits of early identification, detection and management of diabetic foot disease, which is considered a major risk factor in non-traumatic limb amputation worldwide. We gave lectures and practical sessions so that physicians can assess feet and identify complications early and advise their patients on practical issues such as not walking barefoot when they have lost sensation in the soles of their feet. That kind of advice can make an enormous difference to patients' lives."
Glasgow Caledonian University has established a reputation for excellence in the quality of its podiatry teaching programmes and for its podiatric research programmes. Some of which include:
* BSc (Hons) in Podiatry
* MSc Theory of Podiatric Surgery
* MSc Podiatric Medicine
* Masters Podiatry and Diabetes
All four programmes expose students to hands-on experience in the clinical environment, observing and working alongside experienced practitioners.
Added Professor Baird: "Podiatry is very similar to dentistry in that there is a wide and varied scope of practice and it is a wonderfully caring profession in which you can help people with real problems. It has evolved enormously over the past four decades. Podiatrists can now use local anaesthetics, specialise in medical or surgical fields, and prescribe treatments such as antibiotics and steroids.
"Employment opportunities are excellent in podiatry. Virtually all of last year's graduates have found work in this profession, either with the National Health Service, in industry and the private sector — in everything from high street retailers to Sports Medicine centres — or as independent practitioners. The university's graduates have also gone on to pursue research activities and further develop their skills to become podiatric surgeons."
The Division of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, GCU is based at the university's School of Health and Life Sciences, which was ranked high in Scotland and in the UK top 10 for its research in allied health. . The RAE named the division one of the world's leading podiatry research centres.
As well as research projects focusing on wound healing, the university is spearheading research into the pathways leading from primary disease mechanisms such as synovitis, tenosynovitis and enthesopathy, to foot and ankle-related impairment and disability to allow it to develop innovative treatments.