Diabetologia
July 25, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Development of a core descriptor set for studies assessing interventions for diabetes-related foot ulceration.
Staniszewska A, Jones A, Davies L, +18 more, Hinchliffe RJ.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Using a formal Delphi consensus process involving over 100 healthcare professionals, researchers developed a standardized 28-item "core descriptor set" of baseline characteristics that should be reported in all future studies of diabetic foot ulcer treatments.
What was studied
A methodological consensus study used a systematic review to generate candidate descriptors, followed by a two-round Delphi survey (with 102 and 69 healthcare professionals, respectively) and a consensus meeting, to develop a minimum core descriptor set (CDS) of baseline participant characteristics that should be reported in studies evaluating interventions for diabetes-related foot ulceration.
Key findings
- The systematic review identified 95 candidate descriptors for consideration.
- The two-round Delphi process identified 34 critically important descriptors and 13 descriptors without clear consensus, which were then discussed in a consensus meeting.
- The final, ratified core descriptor set includes 28 descriptors spanning nine domains, including demographic variables, individual factors, ulcer characteristics, limb characteristics, ongoing medical interventions, previous surgical interventions, medication history, biochemical measurements, and quality of life/function/symptoms.
- This core descriptor set reflects what healthcare professionals and researchers across fields and geographies consider most important to report.
Clinical relevance
This work provides a standardized reporting framework rather than a direct clinical finding; its adoption could help clinicians and researchers more reliably compare and interpret studies of diabetic foot ulcer treatments going forward, which the authors suggest will improve the overall quality of evidence used to guide practice.
Who should care
Limitations
This is a consensus-development (Delphi) study reflecting expert opinion rather than empirical evidence of clinical outcomes; the practical uptake and impact of this new reporting standard on actual study quality remains to be seen.
Experts reached consensus on 28 key characteristics that all future diabetic foot ulcer treatment studies should report, aiming to improve the quality and comparability of this research.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Aims/hypothesis
Foot ulceration is a common complication of diabetes and is associated with high mortality and costs. The quality of evidence to inform clinical practice is limited, partly because clinical studies do not consistently report baseline participant characteristics. This study aimed to develop a core descriptor set (CDS), a minimum set of descriptors to be measured in all studies evaluating interventions for people with diabetes-related foot ulceration.
Methods
A longlist of descriptors was generated through a systematic review of studies assessing interventions for diabetes-related foot ulcers, pre-registered with PROSPERO (CRD42019128250). The identified descriptors were then ranked based on perceived importance by healthcare professionals from different fields and geographical locations using a nine-point Likert scale in the first round of a Delphi survey. Using standardised criteria, descriptors without consensus were re-ranked in round two. Critical descriptors and those without consensus after the Delphi process were discussed in the consensus meeting to finalise the CDS.
Results
The systematic review yielded 95 candidate descriptors. The two Delphi rounds were completed by 102 and 69 healthcare professionals, respectively. The Delphi process identified 34 critically important descriptors and 13 descriptors without consensus, which were discussed in the consensus meeting. The ratified CDS included 28 descriptors across nine domains: demographic variables; individual factors; ulcer characteristics; limb characteristics; ongoing medical interventions; previous surgical interventions; medication history; biochemical measurements; and quality of life/function/symptoms.
Conclusions/interpretation
This CDS reflects characteristics important to health professionals and researchers when reporting clinical studies on diabetes-related foot ulceration. Its use will aid the reporting of future studies.
DOI
10.1007/s00125-026-06815-1
PMID
42502135
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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