Cutting diabetic toenails

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Just curious what the consensus will be...

Do or would you cut a diabetic patient's toenails? Why or why not?

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, Emergency, SAFE.

As a floor nurse, I personally do not. Its usually policy to have podiatry come and do that.

With the issues that can develop, I wouldnt want to be the one liable.

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Specializes in home health, dialysis, others.

Call a podiatrist - nurses should not be cutting toenails, especially on diabetics. You can file them carefully, but NO cutting. I rarely cut my own anymore, as I am a diabetic, and I am not as flexible as I once was!!!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, MR/DD, Clinic.

Nurses have always trimmed the nails on our diabetic clients in every facility I have worked in. In fact they normally trim nails on all the patients.

The only time nurses have not, is if the client has especially difficult nails to trim.

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.

Personally, I would not trim toenails on anyone with diabetes or poor circulation unless I had been specifically trained and certified to do so.

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Specializes in Holistic and Aesthetic Medicine.

You may want to check out this post https://allnurses.com/entrepreneurs-in-nursing/foot-care-training-41101.html

In our facility, the podiatrist typically trims diabetics' toenails.

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Specializes in OB-GYN.

We're too small to have a podiatrist, but we only cut nails on a doctor's orders - Hospital policy.

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Look up the scope of practice for your state. If you're technically allowed to legally, learn how to cut them, but if you're not legally allowed to (both depending on circumstances such as difficulty cutting nails), then don't worry about it.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

At all of the facilities where I have ever been employed, podiatry comes out to cut diabetic toenails. I personally would not do it. After all, the podiatrist has deeper pockets than me and higher limits in case something goes terribly wrong.

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I learned in nursing school we were not supposed to. I refuse to take that responsibility

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

I work in a small hospital. if we did not do it then they would not get done. We cut nails after they have been in the tub.

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Thanks for the responses. I work in Home Health and we are having some controversy about this issue. Our patients are usually homebound, and for some it is very difficult to get to the podiatrist's office, and there aren't any around this area that make housecalls.

Personally, I would not. I was also taught in nursing school not to do it. I have also had the experience of cutting someone while trimming toenails, fortunately they were not diabetic and had no circulation issues. Still, it's a really bad feeling.

Some of you mentioned getting specific training for this. What might this consist of and where could it be obtained?

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