Abstract
BackgroundTeaching cardiac ultrasound to medical students in a brief course is a challenge. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of teaching large groups of medical students the acquisition and interpretation of cardiac ultrasound images using a pocket ultrasound device (PUD) in a short, specially designed course.MethodsThirty-one medical students in their first clinical year participated in the study. All were novices in the use of cardiac ultrasound. The training consisted of 4 hours of frontal lectures and 4 hours of hands-on training. Students were encouraged to use PUD for individual practice. Finally, the students’ proficiency in the acquisition of ultrasound images and their ability to recognize normal and pathological states were evaluated.ResultsSixteen of 27 (59%) students were able to demonstrate all main ultrasound views (parasternal, apical, and subcostal views) in a six-minute test. The most obtainable view was the parasternal long-axis view (89%) and the least obtainable was the subcostal view (58%). Ninety-seven percent of students correctly differentiated normal from severely reduced left ventricular function, 100% correctly differentiated a normal right ventricle from a severely hypokinetic one, 100% correctly differentiated a normal mitral valve from a rheumatic one, and 88% correctly differentiated a normal aortic valve from a calcified one, while 95% of them correctly identified the presence of pericardial effusion.ConclusionsTraining of medical students in cardiac ultrasound during the first clinical year using a short, focused course is feasible and enables students with modest ability to acquire the main transthoracic ultrasound views and gain proficiency in the diagnosis of a limited number of cardiac pathologies.
Highlights
Teaching cardiac ultrasound to medical students in a brief course is a challenge
The importance of the course was conveyed to the class and the schedule was presented a month before the initiation of the rotation
We designed a brief cardiac ultrasound course for medical students during their first clinical year with the aim of providing them with tools for expanding the physical examination. This condensed course combines 4 hours of lectures for the entire group, 4 hours of small-group hands-on sessions, and additional elective individual practice time with a pocket ultrasound device (PUD). This is a “proof of concept” study that shows that teaching a large group of students to conduct basic cardiac ultrasound exams in a relatively short period of time is feasible
Summary
Teaching cardiac ultrasound to medical students in a brief course is a challenge. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of teaching large groups of medical students the acquisition and interpretation of cardiac ultrasound images using a pocket ultrasound device (PUD) in a short, specially designed course. The diagnosis of cardiac disease is based on medical history, physical examination, and complementary studies. The cardiovascular physical exam, based mainly on cardiac auscultation, can be performed during the first patient-doctor encounter. Some cardiovascular pathologies are difficult to identify by means of physical examination due to imperceptible or barely detectable clinical manifestations [4, 6, 9,10,11,12], with no connection to physicians’ skills. Ultrasound offers precise anatomical and functional information on the cardiovascular system
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