Improved medical student perception of ultrasound using a paired anatomy teaching assistant and clinician teaching model

Smith, Jacob; Kendall, John L.; Royer, Danielle

doi:10.1002/ase.1722

“…This approach of training before reaching a higher competence level on real patients is supported by experts in several studies [17]. Other studies have shown that with minimal instruction, students were able to locate and determine liver size [18]. Similar observations were made in our study where some motivated students went beyond the learning outcomes and started to measure the lobes of the liver with minimal guidance.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Confidence Level and Ability of Medical Students to Identify Abdominal Structures After Integrated Ultrasound Sessions

Nausheen

¹

,

Young

²

,

Brazil

³

et al. 2020

Ultrasound Int Open

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Determine the confidence level and ability of first year medical students to identify abdominal structures using a wireless portable ultrasound scanner.The students were assessed for their confidence and ability to perform abdominal ultrasound. The 5-point Likert survey included questions on their perception about ultrasound as a resource for learning anatomy, physical examination skills, and the quality of the pre-session instructions. Data was also recorded by the faculty about the students’ ultrasound skills and confidence. Goodman and Kruskal's gamma was used to demonstrate an association between the students’ ability to identify the structures and the self-reported student confidence level. Most of the students had confidence and were able to identify the liver, kidney, and urinary bladder, while almost half of them needed faculty help them to identify the inferior vena cava and aorta. The spleen and gall bladder were the most difficult to locate even for the very confident students. The perception of supervising faculty was that the confidence level was low in most of the students and only 13–20% of students felt “very confident” about performing ultrasound. Almost 37% needed encouragement and support and almost 10% of the students were not willing to try to locate difficult organs. Some students started locating the ureteric jet and portal vein. Most of the students agreed that ultrasound is an excellent resource for learning anatomy and physical examination skills. All students suggested having more ultrasound sessions. Most of the students feel confident about performing ultrasound and they perceive that ultrasound can enhance their basic sciences and physical examination skills.

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“…Reviewing the qualitative data taken at the time, some students were particularly inspired by being taught directly by radiology trainees, as they felt they could ask more in-depth questions. Several articles discuss that student feedback varies dependent upon the confidence and expertise of staff delivering the sessions [ 15 , 33 ]. For our pilot we enlisted local radiology trainees as faculty during the sessions and to perform the scans.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies overcome this by using anatomists who have been trained to carry out the scans; and whilst some studies have initially shown less favourable feedback with sessions run by less experienced staff [ 15 ], good outcomes have been shown when structured training is put in place for anatomists to develop scanning proficiency [ 35 ]. Other studies have looked at models with paired anatomists and clinicians, thus extending the expertise of the overall faculty for the sessions [ 33 ]. As these models offer more flexibility within the training, future expansion of our own programme will bear these factors in mind.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Implementing ultrasound sessions to highlight living anatomy for large medical student cohorts

Allsop¹,

Gandhi²,

Ridley³

et al. 2021

Translational Research in Anatomy

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There is an intrinsic link between radiology and anatomy and the importance of being able to convert knowledge from 3D structure to 2D image, and vice versa. Medical students must learn how to use anatomical knowledge to interpret radiological images, and with the increasing use of point-of-care ultrasound in clinical practice, the ability to interpret ultrasound scans is becoming more of a core skill for graduating doctors. Several recent systematic reviews of the literature have been undertaken showing the benefits of incorporating ultrasound in anatomy teaching, including appreciation of the dynamic nature of living anatomy, better understanding of anatomical structure, and improved motivation to study. However, there is a lack of consensus in the way ultrasound teaching should be incorporated into undergraduate medical anatomy. This article reflects on a pilot of integrating ultrasound into medical undergraduate anatomy teaching in the School of Anatomy at the University of Bristol. It shares the experience and how some of the challenges cited in the literature have been approached. To help others negotiate the challenges of implementing this valuable teaching experience, a ‘Six Step Model’ for developing a live ultrasound pilot for undergraduate medical anatomy is offered: Expertise, Education, Ethics, Environment, Equipment, Enlist.

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“…Due to the fact that ultrasound allows real-time, noninvasive visualization of anatomic structures and their physiological function in vivo, ultrasound has been advocated as an auxiliary educational tool, in particular, for anatomy and physiology teaching ("living anatomy"), as well as for the teaching of physical examinations and basic clinical skills [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. There is already consistent evidence that this type of teaching is also very well accepted, wanted, and enjoyed by students [3,14,22], even if the evidence regarding the effect of US on external outcomes is still limited [14,23,24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultrasound Curricula of Student Education in Europe: Summary of the Experience

Prosch

¹

,

Radziņa

²

,

Dietrich

³

et al. 2020

Ultrasound Int Open

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Background Despite the increasing role of ultrasound, structured ultrasound teaching is only slowly being integrated into the curricula of medical schools and universities all over Europe. Aim To survey the current situation at European universities regarding the integration of ultrasound in student medical education and to report on models of student ultrasound training from selected European universities. Methods A questionnaire survey focusing on the implementation of curricular ultrasound education was sent out to the 28 presidents of the national ultrasound societies of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB), who were asked to distribute the questionnaires to the medical universities of their countries. Results Overall, 53 questionnaires were returned from 46 universities in 17 European countries. In most of the universities (40/46 universities, 87%), the theoretical background of ultrasound is taught. However, in only a minority of universities is ultrasound integrated in anatomy courses (8/46 universities, 17%) or basic science courses (16/46 universities, 35%). Practical skills in ultrasound are taught in 56% of the universities (26/46 universities) and tested in a practical exam in seven of the responding universities (15%). The number of hours in which ultrasound was taught ranged from one to 58 (mean, seven). The respondents reported that lack of time and limited faculty funding were major hurdles. Conclusion According to our survey, only a minority of European universities has integrated ultrasound into the preclinical curriculum thus far. Future EFSUMB initiatives will continue to promote the introduction of ultrasound as an integrative part of the core curriculum of student medical education, and the preparation of proper teaching material.

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Improved medical student perception of ultrasound using a paired anatomy teaching assistant and clinician teaching model

Cited by 26 publications

References 56 publications

Confidence Level and Ability of Medical Students to Identify Abdominal Structures After Integrated Ultrasound Sessions

Confidence Level and Ability of Medical Students to Identify Abdominal Structures After Integrated Ultrasound Sessions

Implementing ultrasound sessions to highlight living anatomy for large medical student cohorts

Ultrasound Curricula of Student Education in Europe: Summary of the Experience

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