Background: After a successful pilot project introducing interprofessional (IP) clinical education in a rural hospital, expansion to other rural hospitals was attempted. Despite enthusiasm for the pilot project and funding, the university-based project team had difficulty persuading administrators and staff to become involved or to maintain the project. Of 9 institutions, 2 implemented and sustained the project for more than 2 years, 2 initiated but dropped it, and 5 declined.

After participating in this educational activity, the participant should be better able to:1. Analyze qualitative research methodologies.2. Summarize how conclusions from qualitative research relate to diabetes mellitus and its complications. Persons living with diabetes are at high risk for foot complications, lower extremity trauma, injury, ulceration, infection, and potential amputation. Qualitative health research helps to explore and understand more fully the complexities of diabetes. Qualitative health research seeks to understand what is happening and going on for the individual and his/her support persons. In addition, qualitative health research enables clinicians to appreciate how different qualitative research approaches can explore illness from the perspective of the individual living with the disease.