ALICANTE, 14 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The new iDiaFOOT Network has been created with the main objective of developing innovative technological solutions that contribute to improving the health of patients and reducing associated costs for the health system through R D i actions.
This initiative, led by the Footwear Technology Center (Inescop), was presented this Tuesday at Distrito Digital 5, in Alicante, coinciding with World Diabetes Day, and in front of more than fifty health and research professionals. , as indicated by Inescop in a statement.
The prevalence of diabetes in Spain has reached 14.8 percent and the Valencian Community is the fourth region most affected by this pathology. Among the complications that this group can suffer throughout their lives, diabetic foot is the most serious, according to the International Working Group on Diabetic Foot (IWGDF).
Additionally, the costs associated with diabetic foot complications are higher than some common cancers, such as breast cancer. Specifically, the cost of treating a diabetic patient with a foot ulcer is around 7,147 euros, when for a patient without diabetes it is around 3,771.
In this context, the iDiaFOOT Network has been created, which is financed by the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI) and will be made up of agents involved in research, development and innovation in the field of health and companies in the Valencian Community.
The general secretary of the AVI, Olivia Estrella, has highlighted that the challenges of the Strategic Innovation Committee “involve the prevention, identification and promotion of advanced therapies, for which there is a network of 60 specialists in the Community.”
For his part, the regional Secretary of Health of the Generalitat, Francisco Ponce, has stressed that this initiative is “very important” for the Ministry and has maintained that “without innovation there is no health.”
Likewise, Dr. Óscar Moreno, coordinator of the Diabetes Unit of the Health Department of Alicante – General Hospital, has presented the clinical point of view of the diabetic foot and has stated that the podiatrist “is essential in the prevention and monitoring of the effects of the diabetic foot to avoid amputations among patients.
In addition, they have announced that they have “a very solid and advanced proposal to be able to have eight specialized diabetic foot units in the Valencian Community during the next year 2024.”
The coordinator of the iDiaFOOT Network, Gloria Chorro, has called for the initiative to grow and has pointed out that “only through the development of innovative technological solutions” can we contribute to “alleviating the suffering of patients and their environment.” “Those entities that carry out R&D activities in the field of health must combine our knowledge to combat foot complications derived from diabetes,” she emphasized.
Subsequently, various round tables were held on the latest developments in I D i in diabetic foot, the needs of diabetic patients or the patient-pathology relationship. Finally, the day culminated with a showroom in which Insecop’s “innovative capacity” in the field of health was shown.
