Podiatry Update

There are a number of tools for measuring outcomes and foot health status. Some of the tools include, the Foot Health Status Questionnaire, the Foot Function Index and now there is the Bristol Foot Score

Updates:
The latest ePodiatry Newsletter is online.....so is the Podiatry Arena update.

Latest threads at Podiatry Arena:
Heterotopic ossification (General Forum)
Anterior ankle impingement (Sports Medicine Forum)
Nike are no fools (Sports Medicine Forum)
Advice needed re: Sesamoid pathology....Dancer (Sports Medicine Forum)
Evolution (Biomeanics Forum)
Heavy exudating wound....... (Diabetes and Wound Management Forum)
Foot Small Muscle Atrophy Is Present Before the Detection of Clinical Neuropathy (Diabetes Forum)
Pediatric Podiatrist is it possible???? (Pediatric Forum)
Os navicularis syndrome vs Post Tib tendon dysfunction (Pediatric Forum)
Plantar fasciitis is associated with functional limitation in older people (Gerontology Forum)
Podiatry Assistants in the NHS (UK Forum)
Foot & Ankle International (Journals Online)
The Foot (Journals Online)
Podiatry Negativity (USA Forum)
Any graduates from Scholl or Illinois College of Podiatric Med. (USA Forum)
Congress to consider new bill on therapeutic footwear coverage (USA Forum)
Which stethoscope should I buy as graduation gift? (USA Forum)
Sterilized water in Autoclaves? (UK Forum)
Doctors object to a wider role for surgical care practitioners (UK Forum)
Supplier of Grinders? (Australia Forum)
Putting the boot into podiatry waiting list (Australia Forum)

From LA Times
A federal jury decided that a Chicago podiatrist should get the death penalty for killing a disabled patient to keep her from testifying against him in a Medicare fraud case. Ronald Mikos, 56, was convicted earlier this month of murder, and was also found guilty of defrauding Medicare out of more than $1 million by billing it for thousands of operations that he never performed. Mikos shot Joyce Brannon six times in the neck and head days before she was scheduled to tell a federal grand jury about how he claimed to have performed numerous operations on her that never took place. Her grand jury subpoena was found near her body in her apartment.

This has been an interesting story to follow:

"A Chicago podiatrist murdered a former patient just days before she was to testify against him in a fraud probe because the doctor believed she would be the lone witness against him, a prosecutor said Tuesday..."

"Joyce Brannon had reportedly undergone 72 foot surgeries at the hands of Chicago podiatrist Ronald Mikos, the man she was set to testify against in a 2002 Medicare fraud case..."

"A federal jury quickly convicted a Chicago podiatrist Thursday on all 25 counts against him, including murdering a disabled patient to silence her.... " Link

"A defense attorney today pleaded for the life of a Chicago podiatrist convicted of killing a handicapped woman who planned to testify against him in a Medicare fraud case...." Link

"A woman who had two children with a Chicago podiatrist facing a possible sentence of death testified Wednesday that the children would be devastated if their father was executed...."

Updates:
The latest ePodiatry Newsletter is online

Recent Podiatry Arena topics:
Podiatrist murdered a former patient just days before she was to testify (General Forum)
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (General Forum)
Pedicures Could Lead To Limping (General Forum)
Adapter (Biomechanics Forum)
Cryo-Surgery: A lasting solution for a painful problem (Foot Surgery Forum)
What is the best computer office managment system? (Practice Management Forum)
Clinics in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery (Journals Online)
Podiatry training in California (USA Forum)
Can a doctor refuse to give an Rx? (USA Forum)
Informed Consent (UK Forum)
Doctors object to a wider role for surgical care practitioners (UK Forum)
Estimated Population and number of Podiatrists in UK? (UK Forum)
Putting the boot into podiatry waiting list (Australia Forum)
Turf wars / workforce substitution (Australia Forum)

This debate has been going on for years and will continue. All research to date has shown no differences in outcomes between the two. The exception is this recent publication on foot pain in those with juvenile chronic athritis:
Efficacy of Custom Foot Orthotics in Improving Pain and Functional Status in Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Randomized Trial MARY POWELL, MICHAEL SEID, and ILONA S. SZER
Objective. To compare the clinical efficacy of custom foot orthotics, prefabricated "off-the-shelf" shoe inserts, and supportive athletic shoes worn alone, on reducing pain and improving function for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
Methods. Children with JIA and foot pain (n = 40) were randomized to one of 3 groups receiving: (1) custom-made semirigid foot orthotics with shock absorbing posts (n = 15), (2) off-the-shelf flat neoprene shoe inserts (n = 12), or (3) supportive athletic shoes with a medial longitudinal arch support and shock absorbing soles worn alone (n = 13). Foot pain and functional limitations were measured using the Pediatric Pain Questionnaire–visual analog scale (VAS), Timed Walking, Foot Function Index (FFI), and the Physical Functioning Subscale of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL™). Measures were administered by personnel blinded to group status at baseline (before wearing the assigned intervention) and at 3 months' followup.
Results. Children in the orthotics group showed significantly greater improvements in overall pain (p = 0.009), speed of ambulation (p = 0.013), activity limitations (p = 0.002), foot pain (p = 0.019), and level of disability (p = 0.024) when compared with the other 2 groups. Both children and parents in the orthotics group reported clinically meaningful improvement in child health-related quality of life, although the group by time interaction did not show statistical significance. Except for a reduction in pain for supportive athletic shoes (paired t test, p = 0.011), neither the off-the-shelf shoe inserts nor the supportive athletic shoes worn alone showed significant effect on any of the evaluation measures.
Conclusion. In children with JIA, custom-made semirigid foot orthotics with shock-absorbing posts significantly improve pain, speed of ambulation, and self-rated activity and functional ability levels compared with prefabricated off-the-shelf shoe inserts or supportive athletic shoes worn alone.
(J Rheumatol 2005;32:943-50)

Other updates:
The latest ePodiatry Newsletter is online
Recent Podiatry Arena Threads:
Podiatrist convicted of fraudulently billing Medicare (General Forum) The New Foot Care Nurse... COMMENTS! (General Forum) Podiatrist murdered a former patient just days before she was to testify (General Forum) Nike Free Advertising Campaign (General Forum) Custom made orthoses better than prefab in kids with JCA (Biomechanics Forum) Chemical Agents in Matrixectomies (Foot Surgery Forum) Nerve surgery for foot drop (Foot Surgery Forum) Evidence base of pre-op skin preparation (Foot Surgery Forum) Model Scope of Practice Act (USA Forum) Question for all Podiatrists concerning schools (USA Forum) Medical board discipline up; lawmakers demand even more (USA Forum) Estimated Population and number of Podiatrists in UK? (UK Forum) Nurses Administering FootHealthCare in UK? (UK Forum) Survey by National Foot Forum (Australia Forum) Health workforce design for the 21st century (Australia Forum) Custom made orthosis on ebay (Break Room) The real way to write up a publication... (Break Room)

Nurses poviding foot care is proving to be somewhat controversial:
Nurses Administering FootHealthCare in UK?
Nurses Entrepreneurial Foot Care Association of Canada
The New Foot Care Nurse... COMMENTS!
Add your comments...

A couple of new newsletters:
ePodiatry (2 May)
Podiatry Arena (April)