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Impact of one‐day course on medical student knowledge, attitudes and comfort with point‐of‐care ultrasound‐guided procedures
Author(s) -
Chilstrom Mikaela,
Beck Sierra
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
australasian journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2205-0140
pISSN - 1836-6864
DOI - 10.1002/ajum.12137
Subject(s) - medicine , likert scale , test (biology) , ultrasound , cross sectional study , family medicine , medical education , psychology , radiology , paleontology , developmental psychology , pathology , biology
Given the ubiquity of procedural ultrasound in clinical practice, the importance of exposing medical students to the topic is increasingly relevant. We examined final‐year medical student knowledge, attitudes and comfort level with procedural ultrasound before and after a one‐day course. Methods This was a prospective cross‐sectional survey of final‐year students at a single university. We collected data regarding ultrasound experience, career goals and knowledge of procedural ultrasound, as well as attitudes and comfort (each assessed with three questions using a Likert scale). All students were sent a pre‐ and post‐test survey, and we compared pre‐ and post‐test results using the chi‐square test, with a two‐tailed P‐value < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results All of the 94 course participants completed both the pre‐ and post‐tests. Of the 23 non‐participants, 16 (70%) completed both pre‐ and post‐tests. Almost all (99%) respondents reported some prior ultrasound exposure, but only 34% had previously performed at least one core procedure with ultrasound guidance. Among participants, we found a 13% average increase in knowledge score (P < 0.05) between pre‐ and post‐tests; there was no significant change in knowledge score among non‐participants. Among participants, we also found an increase in positive attitudes (P < 0.05 for two of three questions) and an increased comfort level with procedural ultrasound (P < 0.05 for all three questions). Discussion A one‐day course can impact medical student knowledge, attitudes and comfort with the use of ultrasound for procedural guidance. Conclusion Further research is needed to assess long‐term outcomes and explore alternative educational modalities.