Personal Handheld Ultrasound Devices in the Hands of First Year Medical Students

Abstract

Ultrasound education continues to be integrated into gross anatomy courses in the United States. The team based design of the anatomy course at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine incorporates team‐based ultrasound oriented activities that are formalized through defined course objectives and assessed in the final examination. Providing personal handheld ultrasound devices to first‐year medical students during the gross anatomy course has been the mainstay of ultrasound education for the past three years. Handheld ultrasound devices have been provided to students for limited periods in some medical schools within the United States, but unique to this curriculum, students are assigned devices that can be utilized outside formal class time. This provides unlimited opportunity to apply their understanding of three‐dimensional, living anatomy, while simultaneously promoting student comfort and engagement with advancing ultrasound technology. Student perception related to the use of ultrasound outside of formal curricular time was evaluated on a five point Likert scale. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were used to interpret the data obtained from this study. A total of three surveys were sent to medical students over a period of twelve months with an average response rate of 58.9%. Students indicated that (1) ultrasound devices at personal disposal during the anatomy course improved understanding of anatomical structures imaged (mean 3.9, SD=+/− 1.01), (2) the handheld ultrasound device was easy to use (mean 3.9, SD = +/− 0.8), and (3) it would be beneficial if ultrasound was implemented as part of the longitudinal learning experience in medical school (mean 4.1, SD = +/− 0.7). Students were not convinced that (1) having a personal ultrasound device influenced future choice of medical specialty (mean 2.8, SD = +/− 1.0) and (2) the opportunity augmented coursework in the past three months of medical school at time of taking the survey (mean 2.7, SD =+/− 1.25). Results of the study indicated that access to personal handheld devices motivated students to use ultrasound devices and that they did so with increasing frequency outside of class time. In addition, students were able to apply and reinforce anatomical concepts by using landmarks to first locate and orientate the anatomic field and then interpret images of underlying structures. The fact that students did not see the value of ultrasound in determining future career choices or relate their learning of ultrasound to subsequent courses should not deter prospective opportunity for use of ultrasound in clinical practice. Basic ultrasound proficiency and an ability to effectively interpret scans are skills that in the long term will significantly decrease the learning curve in the use of technology as a diagnostic tool in future clinical settings.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.