Abstract
Background and Methods: In April 2022, “diabetic foot” was revised as a target disorder for the rehabilitation fee for locomotive diseases. However, a 2023 survey revealed no increase in physiotherapists（PTs）involved in these cases, indicating that barriers and facilitators of PT involvement in foot disease rehabilitation were a lack of specialized knowledge and high case complexity. Therefore, this retrospective study was conducted at 11 facilities, and the patient characteristics, pathological complexity, and outcomes were investigated. Results and Conclusion: A total of 303 cases were analyzed and divided into two groups: 138 before revision and 165 after revision. Following the revision, the rehabilitation fee for locomotive disease cases increased from 20.3% to 52.1% and prescription rates from the Department of Plastic Surgery increased from 15.2% to 37.6%. The number of dialysis patients has increased from 31.2% to 44.2%. The decline in the walking ability at discharge decreased from 12.3% to 10.9%. No significant changes were observed in age, sex, severity, or etiology of the foot disease. Ischemic progression remained the predominant cause（60%）, and about 42% of the wounds were unhealed at discharge, underscoring the need for better ischemia and wound care management post-discharge.
