Academy Documents
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2023 Entry-Level Physical Therapist Curriculum Recommendations for Integumentary/Wound Management
The Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology and Wound Management's (ACEWM) Wound Management Special Interest Group (WMSIG) present the following recommendations to support academic and clinical faculty in developing, updating, and implementing a robust entry-level integumentary/wound management curricular plan. These consensus-based recommendations were developed through a Delphi process in 2022-2023 and represent the opinions of academic and clinical faculty from across the country.
The 2023 curriculum recommendations continue a long history of the ACEWM WMSIG working to promote contemporary education for entry-level physical therapists. Early foundational recommendations were created and published 25+ years ago, with revisions in 2008 and 2014, and served as a strong foundation for the 2023 update. The ACEWM appreciates the continued partnership between members, educators, and clinicians working to keep this document applicable to contemporary practice. Thank you to all that have contributed!
The Role of Physical Therapists in Wound Management: An Update
The purpose of this report is to educate patients, physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, payors and coders, legislators, and the general community regarding the very important role physical therapists have in the area of wound management.
While entry-level physical therapists receive a good foundation for practicing in the area of wound management, many therapists spend hundreds of hours in mentored on-the-job clinical training, self-study, and post-graduate professional continuing education in order to advance their wound management knowledge and skill. Many physical therapists achieve board certified specialization in the area of wound management as a mechanism of documenting their high level of training.
Recommendations from the Task Force on Wound and Integumentary Functional Limitations (WIFL):
The WIFL Task Force used the rating tool provided by the APTA’s Evaluation Database to Guide Effectiveness (EDGE) workgroup to assess the following tests as they relate to wound management. According to this tool: ? a score of “4” = “highly recommended; the outcome measure has excellent psychometric properties and clinical utility” ? a score of “3” = “recommended; the outcome measure has good psychometric properties and good clinical utility”
Section on Clinical Electrophysiology: Curriculum Content Guidelines for Electrophysiologic Evaluation