A Vascular Surgery and Primary Care Partnership for Improving Resident Training in Peripheral Artery Disease...

Early diagnosis, establishment of best medical management, and timely specialty referral for patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) remain ongoing challenges. In this study, we sought to identify gaps in internal medicine (IM) and family medicine (FM) residents' self-rated competency of PAD management and investigated whether an educational session led by vascular surgeons could promote recognition and confidence in patient care.

A single educational session, featuring a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on training (pulse and Doppler examination), and open discussion, was offered to IM and FM residents on two separate occasions. A pre-session survey assessed self-rated knowledge, practices, attitudes, and medical training regarding PAD, followed by a truncated post-session survey. The responses were grouped as high vs. moderate/low. Descriptive statistics and the McNemar Exact test were used for paired sample comparison.

Thirty-one residents completed both surveys (65% IM, 35% FM, 58% male, and 77% first- or second-year trainees). Pre-session data revealed gaps in knowledge with few residents rating their understanding as "high." Post-session, there was a significant increase across all measured areas (p<0.001). Notably, improvements were seen in the number of residents who felt highly confident in diagnosing PAD (from 16.1% to 90.3%), using a vascular Doppler (6.5% to 83.9%), ordering non-invasive testing (from 6.5% to 83.9%), performing a lower extremity pulse exam (from 12.9% to 87.1%), managing PAD for amputation prevention (from 12.9% to 71.0%), and referring to a vascular specialist (from 25.8% to 83.9%).

Resident knowledge and confidence improved significantly as a result of a singular educational session. This collaborative model between vascular surgery educators and primary care residency programs demonstrates an adaptable framework that successfully addresses a gap in PAD management training.