The General Council of Official Colleges of Podiatrists of Spain (CGCOP) has warned that practices related to foot care carried out outside the healthcare setting are multiplying and has reiterated that professional intrusion "can cause infections, serious injuries, delayed diagnoses, and permanent sequelae".
"Intrusion in Podiatry poses a health risk to citizens," the corporation has emphasized, insisting that the appropriate option is always to consult a registered podiatrist. It also recalls that Podiatry is a regulated healthcare profession, the practice of which requires an official university degree and the performance of the activity in authorized healthcare centers.
However, the CGCOP has highlighted that interventions on foot health problems are becoming increasingly common, carried out in premises that do not meet the sanitary requirements of current regulations or by individuals lacking the necessary professional qualifications.
In this regard, it has stressed that "apparently simple procedures, such as the removal of calluses, the treatment of ingrown toenails, or the manipulation of skin lesions, require specific clinical knowledge to identify underlying pathologies and act with due safety guarantees for the patient."
In this context, the Council has pointed out that citizens "must be aware that a foot injury is not an aesthetic problem when it affects health" and has warned that "inadequate action can aggravate the pathology, delay an important diagnosis, or cause complications that could have been avoided."
PATIENTS AT HIGH RISK
The professional body details that among the most frequent consequences of these practices are infections, damage to healthy tissues, aggravation of previous pathologies, diagnostic delays, and, in some cases, permanent sequelae. The danger is "especially high" in "patients with diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, neuropathies, or sensory alterations," it has stressed.
Likewise, it has insisted that the handling of sharp instruments, such as scalpel blades or other devices used to treat foot pathologies, must be restricted to qualified healthcare professionals and in facilities that comply with the safety, sterilization, and sanitary control conditions established by legislation.
For this reason, the CGCOP underlines that intrusion is not only a violation of regulated professional practice, but also a public health problem that puts patient safety at risk and hinders the early detection of potentially serious diseases. Therefore, it advises the public to always check that the care is provided in an authorized health center and by a registered podiatrist.
Finally, after recalling that these specialists are the health professionals trained to prevent, diagnose and treat foot diseases and disorders, it has concluded that it is "essential" that whoever provides care "has the capacity to diagnose, treat and act in the face of any complication".