An expert panel of 18 clinicians from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman has published what its authors describe as the first evidence-informed, regionally adapted framework for managing diabetic foot disease in the Gulf. The modified Delphi study, published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice in July 2026, covers prevention, infection, offloading, Charcot neuroarthropathy, peripheral arterial disease and limb salvage, with adaptations for local culture, climate and health system organisation.
The backdrop is stark. The authors note that GCC diabetes prevalence already sits well above global averages and is projected to rise by 96% by 2035. Earlier Gulf consensus work recommended podiatry reviews every one to three months for patients who have healed from an ulcer, and continuous use of therapeutic footwear and foot orthoses.
Deliberate perspective
Consensus documents shape what hospitals stock, what insurers accept as standard of care and what multidisciplinary teams prescribe. When a framework names offloading and footwear as core to prevention, demand follows for the products behind them. For orthotic, footwear and foot health vendors, that means:
- Clear product fit: offloading devices, therapeutic footwear, insoles and pressure-mapping tools map directly onto the framework’s recommendations
- The right buyers: diabetic foot teams in tertiary hospitals, podiatry clinics and endocrinology services, not just O&P workshops
- Evidence and education: clinicians want outcome data and training, so plan workshops and clinical support, not only price lists
- Registration first: most of these products are Class I or II devices and need SFDA, MoHAP or GCC listing before they can be prescribed
Diabetic foot meetings, such as the Riyadh Diabetic Foot Conference, usually held in February, are where these teams gather. To reach podiatrists and foot health professionals across the region, see the IMEA POD media kit, or talk to us about UAE and GCC registration.