Defining Wound Care Learning Objectives for Medical Students: A Multidisciplinary Comparison of Expert and...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Wound Care
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Wound assessment and treatment are fundamental skills for all medical professionals.
• Current medical school curricula inadequately cover wound care topics.
• There is a need to integrate comprehensive wound care education into medical training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a catalogue of clinically relevant learning objectives for medical students in wound care.
• To establish a foundation for enhancing wound care content within medical school curricula.
• To identify expert and clinician perspectives on essential wound care knowledge.

Main Methods:

• An interprofessional group of wound care experts drafted initial learning objectives.
• Clinicians from 16 medical specialties evaluated the relevance of proposed objectives.
• A consensus-based approach was used to finalize the learning objectives.

Main Results:

• A consensus catalogue of 32 relevant learning objectives for medical students in wound care was developed.
• Divergent views between experts and clinicians regarding wound care relevance were identified.
• The study provides a structured framework for curriculum enhancement.

Conclusions:

• The developed catalogue of learning objectives will guide the integration of wound care into medical education.
• Addressing the underrepresentation of wound care in curricula is crucial for future medical practice.
• This work facilitates informed discussions on implementing standardized wound care training.