Question 1
A healing plantar wound has a thin, pale-pink edge advancing over a red, granular bed. Which cells directly produce this new surface covering?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D - Keratinocytes
10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
These 10 free DWC questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Diabetic Wound Care Certification blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A healing plantar wound has a thin, pale-pink edge advancing over a red, granular bed. Which cells directly produce this new surface covering?
Correct answer: D - Keratinocytes
Months after a proximal nail-fold crush injury, a great toenail repeatedly emerges with a longitudinal split, even after complete regrowth. Which damaged structure is producing the abnormal nail?
Correct answer: C - Germinal nail matrix
A vascular study for a patient with diabetes and a foot ulcer reports a right ankle-brachial index of 1.48. Systolic pressures are 64 mmHg at the right great toe, 128 mmHg in the right arm, and 160 mmHg in the left arm. Which toe-brachial index and interpretation are correct?
Correct answer: B - TBI 0.40; the findings support PAD despite the noncompressible ABI.
"My feet burn at night, but I can feel everything you touch," says a patient with type 2 diabetes. Correctly performed 10-g monofilament and 128-Hz vibration testing are normal. Pinprick and temperature discrimination are reduced symmetrically at the toes. Which interpretation reconciles these findings?
Correct answer: A - Small-fiber neuropathy can cause pain before 10-g pressure sensation is lost.
A patient with longstanding diabetes and dense sensory loss arrives with four days of unilateral midfoot warmth and swelling. There is little pain, the skin is intact, and the patient is afebrile. Initial radiographs show no fracture or collapse. Active Charcot neuro-osteoarthropathy is suspected, and MRI is being arranged. What should be done before the result is available?
Correct answer: D - Immobilize the foot in a knee-high device and reduce loading.
Assessment of a diabetes-related plantar ulcer documents exposed flexor tendon without bone or joint involvement, purulent drainage, and surrounding warmth. Toe pressure is 24 mmHg, with PAD confirmed on vascular testing. How is this ulcer classified in the University of Texas system?
Correct answer: A - Grade 2, stage D
During preventive screening, a patient with diabetes receiving hemodialysis for end-stage renal disease has confirmed loss of protective sensation but no PAD, deformity, previous ulcer, or amputation. Both feet are intact. Under the IWGDF 2023 system, which risk category and planned screening interval apply?
Correct answer: C - Risk 3; every 1-3 months
At the first visit for a neuropathic ulcer beneath the second metatarsal head, a 58-year-old with diabetes can walk safely, accepts offloading, and can attend regular reviews. The ulcer is not infected, perfusion is adequate, and no contraindication to casting is identified. All the listed interventions are available. Which should be offered first?
Correct answer: C - A nonremovable knee-high total-contact cast
A home-health surface swab from a plantar ulcer grows methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. At review, the adequately perfused ulcer is smaller and has no purulence, increased warmth, erythema, or induration. The patient is clinically well. How should the culture result affect treatment?
Correct answer: A - Continue offloading and local wound care without antibiotics.
Despite 48 hours of oral antibiotics, a diabetic foot ulcer now has boggy swelling extending into the plantar arch. Gentle pressure on the arch expresses pus through the ulcer, and erythema has spread onto the dorsum. Temperature is 37.1°C, pulse is 86/min, and the white-cell count is within the laboratory reference range. What is the immediate priority?
Correct answer: B - Arrange hospital-level care for urgent surgical assessment and antibiotics.
The DWC exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
The full bank has 1,020 more DWC questions with explanations.
Continue in the free practice test →
View plans