Diabetes is called the pandemic of the twenty-first century not without a good reason. This label has come about from a number of reasons that cause the increased incidence of morbidity. One of the consequences of this disease amongst others is a diabetic foot, which is a chronic wound. The rate of diabetic foot sufferers equals 15% of people with diabetes. Within a year, the ulcer reaches 4–10%. Because of the diabetic foot, 5% to 15% of people with diabetes will ultimately have a limb amputation. An initial occurrence leading to the amputation is an ulceration, which is found in 85% of cases. People most frequently treated because of the ulceration is a group of people aged between 45 and 64 years, mostly men. The Diabetic foot is the stigma of the patient that can affect his/her psyche. Such patients feel alienated and lonely, ashamed because of wounds and the smell of them, and that is most commonly why they isolate themselves from others. Accompanied by pain and problems of everyday life, even during the routine activity, the social sphere of such patients is disrupted. It is very common that wounds are difficult to treat because of the risks and occurrences of infections. Ultimately this can contribute significantly to a patient’s anxiety about health. The aim of study is to show the nurse’s role and tasks at dressing wounds. Her holistic approach to the treatment of wounds can diagnose a genesis of the wounds creation, assess the wound healing phase, location and area of the wound and associated symptoms such as pain, the wound colour, secreting. The nurse takes into account an overall assessment of the patient’s health when dealing with such a process. She bases actions on the principle of TIME by using available modern methods to the development of wounds. Such methods are alternative, modern and efficient, they reduce the risk of the wound infections, which allows for the faster development at healing the wound process and reduces the patient’s stay in hospital.

Key words: diabetic foot, specialized dressings, nursing actions.