Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Clinic for Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Clinic of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany.
BMC Med Educ. 2024 Aug 19;24(1):894. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05904-2.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is rapidly gaining prominence in various clinical settings. As its use becomes more widespread, there is a growing need for comprehensive ultrasound training in medical education to ensure that future healthcare professionals are proficient in this essential diagnostic tool.
This study is the first attempt by the University of Bonn to seamlessly integrate ultrasound courses and the use of ultrasound devices into the regular activities of final year medical students and to evaluate the usage of these devices.
A total of forty students in their practical year were provided with a hendheld ultrasound device for a period of four months. During this time, they were invited to take part in eight optional ultrasound courses in which they acquired images and those images were rated using a specially developed rating system. At the end of the tertial, students were able to take part in a voluntary survey on the use of the equipment.
Participation in the optional ultrasound courses was well received, with the Introduction and FAST module drawing the largest number of participants (29). Among the ultrasound images acquired by students, those of the lungs obtaining the highest rating, with 18.82 (SD ± 4.30) points out of 23 points, while the aorta and vena cava images scored lowest, with an average of 16.62 (SD ± 1.55) points. The overall mean score for all images was 17.47 (SD ± 2.74). Only 21 students responded to the survey. Of the participating students, 67% used the device independently four times or fewer during the tertial.
The study aimed to enhance the BI-POCUS curriculum by improving students' ultrasound skills during their practical year. However, device usage was lower than expected, with most students using it only once a month or less. This raises concerns about the justification of the effort and resources. Future initiatives will focus on technical improvements, better login data provision, and closer monitoring of usage and progress, emphasizing the need for practical ultrasound training in medical education.
即时超声（POCUS）在各种临床环境中迅速受到重视。随着其应用的普及，医学教育中对全面超声培训的需求也在不断增长，以确保未来的医疗保健专业人员能够熟练掌握这一重要的诊断工具。
本研究是波恩大学首次尝试将超声课程和超声设备的使用无缝整合到医学专业最后一年学生的常规活动中，并评估这些设备的使用情况。
共有 40 名实习学生在四个月的时间里配备了手持式超声设备。在此期间，他们被邀请参加八门可选的超声课程，在这些课程中，他们获取图像，并使用专门开发的评分系统对这些图像进行评分。在实习结束时，学生可以参加关于设备使用情况的自愿调查。
选修超声课程的参与情况良好，其中介绍和 FAST 模块吸引了最多的参与者（29 人）。在学生获取的超声图像中，肺部图像评分最高，得分为 23 分中的 18.82 分（SD ± 4.30），而主动脉和腔静脉图像评分最低，平均得分为 16.62 分（SD ± 1.55）。所有图像的总平均得分为 17.47 分（SD ± 2.74）。只有 21 名学生对调查做出了回应。在参与的学生中，67%的人在实习期间独立使用设备的次数不超过四次。
本研究旨在通过提高学生在实习期间的超声技能来增强 BI-POCUS 课程。然而，设备的使用情况低于预期，大多数学生每月使用一次或更少。这引发了对投入的努力和资源是否合理的关注。未来的举措将侧重于技术改进、更好地提供登录数据，并更密切地监测使用情况和进展，强调医学教育中实践超声培训的必要性。
