More than a bag of tricks - Curriculum schema for chronic lower extremity wound healing

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Wound Healing
• Dermatology

Background:

• Chronic wound treatment presents a significant healthcare burden.
• Wound healing is inadequately covered in U.S. medical school curricula.
• Chronic lower extremity wounds (CLEW) often suffer diagnostic delays and improper initial evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a curriculum for medical students on chronic lower extremity wound healing.
• To assess changes in student confidence and knowledge regarding wound etiologies and management.
• To identify areas for curriculum improvement, particularly in managing specific conditions like peripheral arterial occlusive disease.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a curriculum including online modules, a multidisciplinary workshop, and an online vignette for clinical-year medical students.
• Pre- and post-curriculum surveys to measure self-reported confidence in describing wound etiologies and selecting wound products.
• Analysis of student performance on online modules, including those focused on peripheral arterial occlusive disease.

Main Results:

• Students reported significantly higher confidence across all wound types after completing the online modules (p < 0.001).
• Initial surveys indicated students were most confident with etiologies and least confident with wound product selection.
• Performance on peripheral arterial occlusive disease modules remained consistently low, indicating a need for targeted intervention.

Conclusions:

• The developed CLEW healing curriculum effectively enhanced medical students' self-reported confidence in managing chronic wounds.
• The curriculum's modular approach shows promise, but specific disease modules require refinement.
• Future research should focus on long-term knowledge retention and addressing potential student biases in chronic wound care.