Importance of incorporating ultrasonography into undergraduate medicine practices

Abstract

Introduction: Ultrasound as a learning tool is a new and promising approach. Furthermore, its use in the point of care model (POCUS) has been incorporated into today's medical practice. Objective: Collect student perception about ultrasound as a teaching tool in the basic cycle of the medicine course. Methodology: a focus group was structured with students from the first three periods and the data was analyzed by a system and three independent researchers. Results: Participants (n=20) recognized ultrasound as a theoretical-practical integration tool and the activity in small groups as an excellent opportunity. On the other hand, immediate applicability in learning was not always perceived and, among so many disciplines, its use may be threatened. Conclusion: Through US teaching, the association of fundamental undergraduate content, such as anatomy, physiology and semiology, becomes more palpable and less abstract to the student. In this way, it becomes a tool with the potential to play a strategic and methodological role in teaching the basic cycle in the medical course, contributing to the practice of POCUS, certainly incorporated into the daily professional lives of future doctors.