The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) marks November’s Diabetes Awareness Month in 2023 with a public education campaign concerning diabetes and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Up to 70 percent of people with diabetes experience peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage caused by high blood sugar. Nerve damage can cause sensations of heaviness and numbness or burning and tingling that can be excruciatingly painful. Painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy can affect mobility, interrupt sleep, and contribute to depression and anxiety. And nerve damage may progress to complete loss of sensation, which puts patients at risk for wounds they can’t feel, serious infections, and even amputation and death.
The APMA Fall 2023 Diabetes Awareness Month campaign provides individual members and practices with resources via the APMA digital toolkit to promote their expertise and educate current and prospective patients. These downloadable resources include a tip sheet (handout), press release, physician referral letter, sample social media posts, and logos. Campaign information is available at www.apma.org/diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) also has resources available for Diabetes Awareness Month. To access the ADA Toolkit, click HERE.
April’s Foot Health Awareness Month provided an opportunity for FPMA members to educate their patients and the public about podiatric medicine and surgery as well as overall foot health. The APMA's 2023 Spring campaign, entitled “Today’s Podiatrist - Your Foot and Ankle Specialist,” was designed to educate the public about the importance of podiatrists as the specialists for foot care, as they are highly trained and specialized to recognize and treat unique, complex conditions in the feet, whether it’s a skin condition or fracture of the foot.
Go to https://www.apma.org/Patients/content.cfm?ItemNumber=53939&navItemNumber=25225 to access a variety of materials to get the word out about how Today's Podiatrist is the foot and ankle specialist. The page features information geared toward both patients and podiatrists. Campaign materials, including social media graphics/sample media posts to use on social media sites, are available for downloading by scrolling down the page and clicking on the "VISIT DIGITAL TOOL KIT" link provided.
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