Experiences, thoughts, and feelings of patients with a diabetic foot ulcer in Turkey: A qualitative descriptive study

•Behavioural barriers in diabetes management facilitate the formation of diabetic foot.•The biggest obstacle to the severity of diabetic foot ulcers is that the individual does not care about the wound or is accidentally noticed.•Participants, whose feelings of regret came to the fore, stated that they had a sufficient understanding of appropriate diabetic foot care and disease management.•It provided a perspective for healthcare professionals to develop personal foot care strategies for individuals with type-2 diabetes. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of foot ulcers on male patients diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, foot care and treatment, and the difficulties, experiences, feelings, and perspectives of male patients regarding foot ulcers. This study designed as a qualitative descriptive study. The study sample included 14 male patients diagnosed with a diabetic foot ulcer. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Three main themes were identified from the interviews: diabetic foot ulcer development, diabetic foot ulcer effects, and healthcare experiences with the diabetic foot ulcer. The results of this study may serve to provide a guideline for healthcare professionals to develop foot care strategies. While the patients who participated in the study were well-informed about foot care and diabetes management, their self-care practices were poor. Good management of diabetes and external factors were correlated with the development of foot ulcers.