Core Curriculum for Fellowships in Wound Care
Goals:
Development of a physician with skills needed to identify and treat typical and atypical wounds sent in the community apply plan of care and educate patients
- Recognize and understand the pathophysiology of normal and abnormal healing
- Understand and address the multifactorial nature of wounds not only for healing but also to prevent recurrence
Core Curriculum:
Arterial Wounds
- Diagnosis and pathophysiology of arterial ulcers
- Appropriate timing and indications of wound healing technologies, medical and surgical treatments for arterial ulcers
Venous Ulcers
- Diagnosis and pathophysiology of venous ulcers, coagulation cascade, DVT and venous thromboembolism
- Identification and treatment (or proper referral for treatment) of contributing factors
- Appropriate timing and treatment including compression therapies, wound dressings, advanced technologies, medical and surgical interventions
Lymphedema
- Diagnose and understand etiologies, risk factors and pathophysiology of lymphedema
- Identify a wound with concurrent lymphatic function
- Management of lymphedema with complex decongestive therapy and treatment of comorbidities and risk factors.
- Reconstructive options
Pressure Ulcers
- Understand pathophysiology, epidemiology, prevention guidelines of pressure ulcers
- Understand risk factors, staging, management
- Know wound bed preparation
- Understand medico legal implications
Diabetic Foot Ulcer
- Diagnosis and pathophysiology of neuropathic ulcers
- Recognition and understanding of charcot arthropathy, osteomyelitis, vascular assessment and medical and surgical options
- Know the choice of orthotics and offloading option and techniques
Wound Infection
- Understand the biochemistry of wound bioburden, wound and microbe interaction, wound infection and inflammation
- Diagnosing wound infection and osteomyelitis and treatment options
Other
- Nutrition and other host factors contributing to healing of wounds
- Atypical wound diagnosis and treatment options
- Principles of physical medicine and rehabilitation to improve function and quality of life of patients with chronic wounds
- Procedural competencies in surgical wound debridements, advanced technologies in wound diagnostics, new and cutting edge wound therapies
- Proper documentation, regulatory and medico legal compliance
- Understanding evidence based research in wound healing and applying the correct evidence and guidelines to tailor standard and advanced wound management
- Patient safety
- Patient education
- Appropriate consultations for transdisciplinary approach for diagnosis and treatment