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The traditional Total Contact Cast (TCC) is considered the gold standard for treating plantar diabetic ulcers. A number of prefabricated TCC kits have been introduced, which offer a user-friendly casting process for health care providers. Our objective was to evaluate pressure reduction and gait characteristics after application of a TCC kit (TCC-EZ) and traditional TCC. Fifteen individuals (9 males, 6 females; median age of 51.5 years [range = 40.5-71.2 years]) completed 30-m walking trials while fitted with TCC-EZ and TCC in a randomized order. A pair of automated wireless photogate sensors captured time to traverse the distance and pedobarographic insoles measured and recorded plantar pressures. Paired t tests were used to compare peak pressure, gait speed, and cast weights across the 2 modalities. Peak pressure and cast weight were significantly lower in the TCC-EZ arm (169.6 ± 41.3 kPa vs 214.9 ± 63.2 kPa, P = .0048; and 1.79 ± 0.17 kg vs 2.11 ± 0.25 kg, P = .0004). Contact area and gait speed were not significantly different between the 2 modalities (140.4 ± 25.8 cm2 vs 126.9 ± 37.8 cm2, P = .0228, Cohen’s d = 0.40; and 0.94 ± 0.19 m/s vs 0.83 ± 0.26 m/s, P = .0532, Cohen’s d = .48). TCC-EZ was found to provide more favorable pressure distributions compared with TCC. TCC-EZ is also lighter and may be a preferred treatment modality for patients. More research is necessary to reveal the clinical effectiveness of prefabricated total contact kits.

Introduction. Workplace bullying and incivility have been recognized as significant problems in both clinical and academic environments. ese negative behaviors can lead to disengagement, stress, and lost productivity. e purposes of this study were to 1) identify predictors of bullying experiences and 2) assess the prevalence of being bullied among faculty and staff working in physical therapist education programs across the United States. Review of Literature. More than onethird of US workers are bullied or have witnessed bullying in the workplace. When these disruptive behaviors occur within the context of physical therapist education, the impact can be detrimental to teaching and learning, clinical practice, and individual well-being. Subjects. Participants included 529 Doctor of Physical erapy faculty and staff. Methods. Respondents completed the uncivil workplace behavior questionnaire-revised and negative acts questionnaire-revised.Results. Survey results revealed that 32.5% of academic faculty had experienced bullying within the last 6 months. Discussion and Conclusion. e prevalence of bullying and incivility in academic physical therapy programs approaches that of the general workforce in the United States. Physical erapy education programs must take an active role in preventing, recognizing, and managing uncivil behaviors in the academic environment.