Collaborative Platform for Intelligent Monitoring of Diabetic Foot Patients - Colab4IMDF

This research work aims to set the basis for the development of a multidisciplinary platform designed to assist healthcare professionals, their institutions and more important, diabetic patients to manage diabetic foot syndrome complications. The system’s primary function is the automated classification of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), with the ultimate goal of expediting treatment and improving patient well-being. Given the sporadic nature of diabetic patients’ medical consultations, the time gaps between appointments can exacerbate symptoms. To address this issue, the project advocates for sustained communication between physicians and patients, facilitated by the exchange of patient images, thereby reducing the need for frequent in-person visits. This manuscript shows project’s initial phase that involves the research and modelling of an architecture that ranges from mHealth to Deep Learning algorithm capable of rapidly and accurately classifying user-submitted images, offering clinical decision support and autonomous identification of potential DFU complications from the patient’s perspective.