In our country, the public health
service covers the expense of therapeutic
shoes only in a very limited number of
cases, and in our protocol, the presence of
a control group without special shoes is
justified by the need for information for
the National Health Service to reimburse
a larger number of patients for special
shoes. Another point relates to the quality
of products marketed for the diabetic
community. In a survey of their local footwear
retailers, Masson et al. (10) found
that only 1 out of 22 shops provided any
information about the needs of diabetic
patients in their staff training programs.
On the other hand, the American Diabetes
Association clearly indicates in its position
statement (11) that "if unfamiliar
with therapeutic footwear, the healthcare
provider should seek assistance from
a qualified footwear specialist." This underlines
the fact that there may be cases in
which medical professionals and/or shoe
manufacturers are unable to either prescribe
or make shoes for diabetic patients.
In these cases, prescribed footwear may
be useless when not outright dangerous
(12). The availability of manufactured
shoes with an established positive effect