Point-of-care ultrasound augments physical examination learning by undergraduate medical students

Abstract

BackgroundLittle is known about the impact of the provision of handheld point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) devices on physical examination skills of medical students.MethodsWe describe an educational initiative that comprised a POCUS workshop followed by allocation of a POCUS device to medical students for use over the subsequent 8 weeks. They were encouraged to scan patients and correlate their physical examination findings. A mobile instant messaging group discussion platform was set to provide feedback from instructors. Physical examination skills were assessed by means of clinical examination.Results210 final-year medical students from the University of Hong Kong participated in the programme. 46.3% completed the end of programme electronic survey: 74.6% enjoyed using the POCUS device, 50.0% found POCUS useful to validate physical examination findings and 47.7% agreed that POCUS increased their confidence with physical examination. 93.9% agreed that the programme should be incorporated into the medical curriculum and 81.9% would prefer keeping the device for longer time from 16 weeks (45.6%) to over 49 weeks (35.3%). Medical students who participated in the POCUS programme had a higher mean score for abdominal examination compared with those from the previous academic year with no POCUS programme (3.65±0.52 vs 3.21±0.80, p=0.014), but there was no statistically significant difference in their mean score for cardiovascular examination (3.62±0.64 vs 3.36±0.93, p=0.203).ConclusionThe POCUS programme that included provision of a personal handheld POCUS device improved students’ attitude, confidence and ability to perform a physical examination.

Development and Remodeling of Point-of-Care Ultrasound Education for Emergency Medicine Residents in Resource Limited Countries during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Again, overcrowding is the main problem in low- to middle-income countries. As the pressures continue to mount, the solution may simply be the availability of handheld ultrasound devices, which are small, affordable, feasible, and easy to access, which is consistent with other studies [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ]. Finally, the majority of learners reported that they felt the time to study in this rotation was too short.…”

The Use of Handheld Ultrasound Devices in Emergency Medicine

“…Some evidence suggests that physicians are less inclined to utilize physical examination skills and that the quality and proficiency of these skills is lacking and prone to error [ 40 , 41 ]. POCUS is proven, to improve bedside physical exams by medical students and residents to the point that one author recommends “insonation” as a component of the physical exam [ 4 , 40 , 42 ]. Recent studies demonstrate that incorporating HHU devices into undergraduate medical education was well received by students, improved conceptual understanding of anatomy, and improved student confidence and diagnostic accuracy when performing physical examinations [ 42 – 44 , 45 ••, 46 ].…”

Association of a longitudinal, preclinical ultrasound curriculum with medical student performance

“…Trainees view POCUS education as valuable and provides them with more confidence in their diagnostic capabilities and ultrasound skills [12,15,16]. POCUS education is associated with improved student attitude, confidence, and ability to perform physical exams and improved evaluation of these exam skills in Objective Standardized Clinical Examination (OSCE) scores [17][18][19][20]. POCUS education has also been associated with increased student confidence in performance of bedside procedures [19,[21][22][23].…”