Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Department of Educational Studies, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Anat Sci Educ. 2023 Nov-Dec;16(6):1089-1101. doi: 10.1002/ase.2311. Epub 2023 Jun 25.
Ultrasound imaging is a dynamic imaging technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to capture live images of the structures beneath the skin. In addition to its growing use in diagnosis and interventions, ultrasound imaging has the potential to reinforce concepts in the undergraduate medical curriculum. However, research assessing the impact of ultrasound on anatomy learning and student cognition is scarce. The purpose of this study was to compare the impact of ultrasound-based instruction versus narrated videos on students' understanding of anatomical relationships, as well as the role of intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy beliefs, and students' attitudes in this process. A booster course on anterior leg and wrist anatomy was offered to second-year medical students. A randomized controlled trial with a cross-over design allocated students to either an ultrasound-based teaching condition (cohort A) or a narrated anatomy video condition (cohort B). Next, participants were crossed to the alternative intervention. At the start of the study (T0), baseline anatomy knowledge, intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy beliefs, and spatial ability were measured. After the first intervention (T1) and at the end of the study (T2), both cohorts were administered an anatomy test, an intrinsic motivation scale, and a self-efficacy scale. In addition, each student was asked to fill out a perception survey after the ultrasound intervention. Finally, building on the cross-over design, the most optimal sequence of interventions was examined. A total of 181 students participated (cohort A: n = 82, cohort B: n = 99). Both cohorts performed comparably on the baseline anatomy knowledge test, spatial ability test, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy scale. At T1, cohort B outperformed cohort A on the anatomy test (p = 0.019), although only a small effect size could be detected (Cohen's d = 0.34). Intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy of both cohorts were similar at T1. At T2, the anatomy test, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy scale did not reflect an effect after studying either sequence of the interventions. Students reported favorably about the ultrasound experience, but also mentioned a steep learning curve. Medical students found the hands-on ultrasound sessions to be valuable, increasing their interest in musculoskeletal anatomy and ultrasound imaging. However, the addition of ultrasound did not result in superior spatial anatomy understanding compared to watching anatomy videos. In addition, ultrasound teaching did not have a major effect on student cognition. Ultrasound-based teaching of musculoskeletal anatomy is regarded as difficult to learn, and therefore it is hypothesized that too high levels of cognitive load might explain the presented results.
超声成像是一种动态成像技术，利用高频声波捕捉皮肤下的实时图像。除了在诊断和介入方面的应用不断增加外，超声成像还有可能强化本科医学课程中的概念。然而，评估超声对解剖学学习和学生认知影响的研究还很少。本研究的目的是比较基于超声的教学与叙述性视频教学对学生理解解剖关系的影响，以及内在动机、自我效能信念以及学生态度在这一过程中的作用。为二年级医学生开设了一门关于前腿和腕部解剖学的强化课程。采用随机对照试验交叉设计，将学生分配到基于超声的教学条件（A 队列）或叙述性解剖视频教学条件（B 队列）。然后，参与者被交叉到另一种干预措施。在研究开始时（T0），测量了基线解剖知识、内在动机、自我效能信念和空间能力。在第一次干预（T1）后和研究结束时（T2），两个队列都接受了解剖测试、内在动机量表和自我效能量表。此外，每位学生在接受超声干预后都要填写一份感知调查。最后，基于交叉设计，研究检查了最佳的干预序列。共有 181 名学生参加（A 队列：n=82，B 队列：n=99）。两个队列在基线解剖知识测试、空间能力测试、内在动机和自我效能量表上的表现相当。在 T1 时，B 队列在解剖测试中优于 A 队列（p=0.019），尽管只能检测到较小的效应量（Cohen's d=0.34）。在 T1 时，两个队列的内在动机和自我效能相似。在 T2 时，无论是学习干预的哪种顺序，解剖测试、内在动机和自我效能量表都没有反映出效果。学生对超声体验评价较好，但也提到了陡峭的学习曲线。医学生认为动手操作的超声课程很有价值，增加了他们对肌肉骨骼解剖学和超声成像的兴趣。然而，与观看解剖视频相比，添加超声并没有导致空间解剖理解能力的提高。此外，超声教学对学生认知没有产生重大影响。基于超声的肌肉骨骼解剖教学被认为很难学习，因此可以假设过高的认知负荷可能解释了目前的结果。
