Most common precursor to lower-limb amputation
Around 60 million people in Europe live with diabetes, and up to a third will develop a foot ulcer at some point. These wounds heal slowly, recur in roughly 40 % of cases within a year, and are the most common precursor to lower-limb amputation. Treating them costs European health systems an estimated €12 billion annually. Prevention today relies on frequent foot inspections at specialist clinics, making it inconvenient for patients, and impractical for those living far from such services.
Smart insole with embedded temperature and pressure sensors
The STRIDE-COM project explores whether continuous monitoring can move that prevention closer to home. The project further develops and evaluates a smart insole with embedded temperature and pressure sensors that picks up the early signs of tissue damage and alerts the wearer and their care team before an ulcer develops. More than 100 participants take part in an 18-month randomised controlled trial in community and primary care settings across Denmark, Spain and Canada, the first multicentre trial of this technology in culturally and linguistically diverse health systems.
Adapting the algorithms
Our work addresses something that currently limits who the technology works for: many high-risk patients wear custom orthotic inserts, which sit between the foot and the sensors and alter the readings the algorithms depend on. We are characterising these effects and adapting the algorithms. Our work focuses also on manufacturing scalable production solutions and a techno-economic analysis of the insole.