Abstract
BackgroundPoint-of-care ultrasound is becoming a ubiquitous diagnostic tool, and there has been increasing interest to teach novice practitioners. One of the challenges is the scarcity of qualified instructors, and with COVID-19, another challenge is the difficulty with social distancing between learners and educators. The purpose of our study was to determine if ultrasound-naïve operators can learn ultrasound techniques and develop the psychomotor skills to acquire ultrasound images after reviewing SonoSim® online modules.MethodsThis was a prospective study evaluating first-year medical students. Medical students were asked to complete four SonoSim® online modules (aorta/IVC, cardiac, renal, and superficial). They were subsequently asked to perform ultrasound examinations on standardized patients utilizing the learned techniques/skills in the online modules. Emergency Ultrasound-trained physicians evaluated medical students’ sonographic skills in image acquisition quality, image acquisition difficulty, and overall performance. Data are presented as means and percentages with standard deviation. All P values are based on 2-tailed tests of significance.ResultsTotal of 44 medical students participated in the study. All (100%) students completed the hands-on skills evaluation with a median score of 83.7% (IQR 76.7–88.4%). Thirty-three medical students completed all the online modules and quizzes with median score of 87.5% (IQR 83.8–91.3%). There was a positive association between module quiz performance and the hands-on skills performance (R-squared = 0.45; p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant association between module performance and hands-on performance for any of the four categories individually. In all four categories, the evaluators’ observation of the medical students’ difficulty obtaining views correlated with hands-on performance scores.ConclusionsOur study findings suggest that ultrasound-naïve medical students can develop basic hands-on skills in image acquisition after reviewing online modules.
Highlights
Point-of-care ultrasound is becoming a ubiquitous diagnostic tool, and there has been increasing interest to teach novice practitioners
A total of 44 first-year medical students enrolled in the study
As point-of-care ultrasound continues to permeate through nearly every specialty, it is important for software development, simulation developers, and any ultrasound education source to be mindful of key components required to cultivate ultrasound skills
Summary
Point-of-care ultrasound is becoming a ubiquitous diagnostic tool, and there has been increasing interest to teach novice practitioners. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is rapidly becoming a more ubiquitous diagnostic and treatment tool in various medical specialties Training in this imaging modality is required in emergency medicine residency education, but POCUS is extending into other specialties and settings. One of the critical components of ultrasound education is teaching the psychomotor skills in performing ultrasound examinations This development of ultrasound muscle memory typically requires hands-on practice in the form of in-person proctoring by an ultrasound expert. Fuchs et al showed that medical students can learn cardiac ultrasound through electronic learning platforms as well as their validated bedside in-person cardiac course [3] These methods for teaching traditionally hands-on examinations/ procedures are especially important in today’s COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic. Ultrasound educators must be creative in creating an alternative way to deliver both the medical knowledge-based and psychomotor learning
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