Introduction: Foot and toe nail problem is one of the most common health problems in older adults. The importance of these problems and foot care is often overlooked. This study aimed to determine The effect of foot and toenail care protocol on the rate of foot and toenail problems prevalence at elderly people.
Method: This pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental study was carried out on 108 non- diabetic elderly referring to the elderly community centre, district four of Tehran municipality in 2105. The elders were selected based on the inclusion criteria and using purposive sampling and matching assigned to control (n=54) and intervention (n=54) groups. The protocol consisted of 4 components: 1- comprehensive assessment of foot and toenails 2- foot and toenail primary cares3- foot and toenail advanced care and 4- teaching elders about foot problems. To collect the data, a demographic information questionnaire, foot and toenail problems) were used. Prior to and following the administration of protocol (6 weeks), the questionnaires were completed by the participants and the obtained data were analysed by SPSS-19 software.
Results: The results showed that before intervention in the domains of foot and toenail problems, there were no statistically significant differences between two groups concerning shoes and socks condition and self-care ability (p> 0.05). But after administration of protocol the elders in intervention group showed a significant reduction in most subscales of foot and toenail problems (except for thick nails, Ingrown toenail, hallux valgus and claw foot) and an improvement in all subscales with shoes, socks and self-care ability compared to elders in control group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Foot and toenail problems are very common in elderly. If nurses, caregivers and the elders themselves follow the foot and toenail care protocol, the conditions of the foot and nails will be improved, the pain will be alleviated and the self-management of the elderly will be improved.