University of Wisconsin–Madison Medical College of Wisconsin

Next Steps: Teaching Future Generations an Interprofessional Approach to Diabetic Foot Ulcer Care

Shalvi B. Parikh, MBBS; Jamie N. LaMantia, BS; Meghan B. Brennan, MD, MS; Jessica S. Tischendorf, MD, MS

WMJ. 2025;123(1):e1-e4. Published early online March 10, 2025.

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ABSTRACT

Introduction: We aimed to assess the effectiveness of interprofessional teaching sessions focused on the care of patients with diabetic foot ulcers.

Methods: We conducted a pre-/post-intervention, quasi-experimental study with repeat evaluations on either side of the teaching sessions (n = 28). Surveys and chart reviews were used to assess changes in attitude, knowledge, practice, and patient outcomes.

Results: All 5 infectious disease fellows favorably reviewed the sessions. Positive baseline attitudes towards interprofessional care further improved with respect to shared learning and teamwork (5-point Likert scale scores pre- and post-session: 4.13 vs 4.44, respectively, P < 0.01). No other significant changes were observed.

Discussion: Our sessions were associated with improved attitudes toward interprofessional care but likely need to be augmented with experiential learning to achieve practice and outcome improvements.


Author Affiliations: Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin (Parikh, LaMantia, Brennan, Tischendorf); Department of Medicine, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin (Brennan, Tischendorf).
Corresponding Author: Jessica S. Tischendorf, MD, MS, 1685 Highland Ave, Madison, WI 53583; phone 608.263.1545, email jtischen@medicine.wisc.edu; ORCID ID 0000-0003-0319-291X
Funding/Support: This project was funded by a Medical Education Innovation grant from the University of Wisconsin.
Financial Disclosures: None declared.
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