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Both vascular surgeons and podiatric physicians care for patients with diabetic foot ulcerations (DFUs), one of today's most challenging health-care populations in the United States. The prevalence of DFUs has steadily increased, along with the rising costs associated with care. Because of the numerous comorbidities affecting these patients, it is necessary to take a multidisciplinary approach in the management of these patients. Such efforts, primarily led by podiatric physicians and vascular surgeons, have been shown to effectively decrease major limb loss. Establishing an interprofessional partnership between vascular surgery and podiatric medicine can lead to an improvement in the delivery of care and outcomes of this vulnerable patient population.
Background: Integrated medical curricula commonly require the review of foundational science concepts in the context of clinical applications. A detailed analysis of the Des Moines University second-year medical curricula revealed that such reviews, conducted as hours-long basic science lectures in second-year clinical systems courses, often create undesirable redundancy and can load the curriculum with excessively detailed content. We hypothesized that short, quiz-enhanced videocasts (QEVs) would allow a more focused and efficient review of foundational sciences than traditional lectures.
Methods: Five biochemistry lectures in the second year Des Moines University Doctor of Podiatric Medicine curriculum were reviewed for relevance and redundancy, shortened to 8- to 12-min QEVs and offered to students as an alternative to the respective hours-long lecture.
Results: Download data show that students chose content delivery by QEV as frequently as delivery of lectures, with QEV use peaking in the days immediately preceding the exam. Survey comments show that students appreciate the efficiency and flexibility of content delivery by QEV, particularly for focused exam preparation.
Conclusions: We conclude that the review of foundational concepts by means of short, interactive videocasts can reduce redundant and excessively detailed content from integrated curricula. Although the faculty effort for context review, content selection, and videocast production is higher than for the design of a traditional lecture, the end product offers students a much-appreciated opportunity for efficient, focused, and individualized learning.
Preventive foot-care practices, such as annual foot examinations by a health-care provider, can substantially reduce the risk of lower-extremity amputations. We examined the level of preventive foot-care practices (reported rates of having at least one foot examination by a physician) among patients with diabetes mellitus in North Carolina and determined the factors associated with these practices. Of 1,245 adult respondents to the 1997 to 2001 North Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 71.6% reported that they had had their feet examined within the past year, a rate that is much higher than that previously reported by Bell and colleagues in the same population for 1994 to 1995 (61.7%). Foot care was more common among insulin users than nonusers, those having diabetes for 20 years or longer than those having diabetes for less than 10 years, blacks than whites, and those who self-monitored their blood glucose level daily than those who did not. The results of this study indicate that diabetes educational services can be directed at populations at high risk of ignoring the recommended foot-care practices indicated in these analyses, thereby reducing diabetes-related lower-extremity complications. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 94(5): 483–491, 2004)
Background:
This article provides an analysis of the perceived value to doctor of podiatric medicine/master of health-care administration (DPM/MHA) alumni of the clinical dual-degree program at Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa, and a review of the literature on physician leaders.
Methods:
An in-depth review of the current literature and an evaluation of survey results from 21 of 33 alumni of the DPM/MHA dual-degree program at Des Moines University was completed.
Results:
There was an overwhelming positive response from alumni toward the DPM/MHA dual-degree program. It was also found that there is a need for physician leaders who obtain knowledge and understanding of the business aspects of medicine in the current health-care industry.
Conclusions:
These survey results provide justification that the DPM/MHA dual-degree program at Des Moines University is fulfilling its goal of providing an educational background in the administrative and clinical aspects of medicine that prepares students for the complex and ever-changing health-care industry. The dual-degree program is a great opportunity for the podiatric medicine profession and podiatric medical schools to increase their collaboration with MHA programs to offer dual-degree programs to help fill the void and prepare future physician leaders. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 103(1): 56–66, 2013)
Background:
The increased use of external interventions to diagnose and treat podiatric medical pathologies has warranted a greater understanding of the lower extremity in the transverse plane. Films, prosections, and plastinated cross sections have long been used alongside traditional instruction to assist students in anatomical studies. These methods, however, often fail to provide the tactile component of anatomical dissection and may obscure or exclude the requisite structures for identification by medical students. Such teaching techniques prove costly, time sensitive, and dated compared with the relatively less expensive and customizable nature of three-dimensional (3-D) printing.
Methods:
Limb length was measured on a cadaveric specimen, and eight cross sections of equal width were excised. Manual sketches of these sections were then digitized and 3-D printed.
Results:
Three-dimensional printing provides a safe and reproducible means to construct customizable cross sections of the lower extremity. Moreover, this method proves to be relatively inexpensive.
Conclusions:
Advancing traditional didactic teaching with the use of cost-effective 3-D printing can facilitate the visuospatial comprehension of lower-extremity anatomy. The evolution of 3-D printing enhances the clinical skills essential for the interpretation of imaging studies as well as planning for surgical procedures such as external fixation application.
