Implementing a Chronic Wound Care Workshop for Internal Medicine Residents

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Wound Care
• Internal Medicine Training

Background:

• Internal medicine (IM) residents require robust wound care education.
• Integrating specialized training into demanding curricula presents challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of a pilot wound care curriculum for IM residents.
• To evaluate changes in resident practice and identify barriers to wound care implementation.

Main Methods:

• A prospective pilot study involving 89 IM residents at an academic hospital.
• A 90-minute workshop covering chronic wound care, including debridement and dressing selection.
• Pre- and post-workshop clinical vignettes and surveys to assess behavior change and barriers.

Main Results:

• 64% completed the pre-workshop vignette, and 28% completed the post-workshop vignette.
• 40% of post-workshop respondents reported implementing changes in wound care.
• Key barriers included attending physician comfort, clinic resource limitations, and resident confidence.

Conclusions:

• A chronic wound care education module is feasible within an IM curriculum.
• Future efforts should address clinic needs, attending physician/resident comfort, and high-yield interventions.