Assessing how emergency and trauma ultrasonography is taught to medical students

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a method aimed at teaching ultrasound techniques to medical students in emergency settings. METHODS: A prospective study conducted with 66 sixth-year undergraduate medical students. Students participated in theory and practicing sessions with a 5-hour load; knowledge acquisition was assessed through pre- and post-course and 90-day tests. A questionnaire were distributed to the students after course completion for theoretical and practical knowledge assessment. RESULTS: Average pre-test grade in theoretical content evaluation was 4.9, compared to 7.6 right after course completion, and 5.9 within 90 days (p<0.001). Questions addressing technical aspects and image acquisition were mostly answered correctly; in contrast, questions related to clinical management of patients tended to be answered incorrectly. In practical evaluation, 54 students (81.8%) were able to correctly interpret images. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound applicability and image acquisition techniques can be taught to medical students in emergency settings. However, teaching should be focused on technical aspects rather than clinical management of patients.