Point-of-Care Clinical Ultrasound for Medical Students.
OBJECTIVE
Our institution has recently implemented a point-of-care (POC) ultrasound training program, consisting of an e-learning course and systematic practical hands-on training. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the learning outcome of this curriculum.


METHODS
16 medical students with no previous ultrasound experience comprised the study group. The program covered a combination of 4 well-described point-of-care (POC) ultrasound protocols (focus assessed transthoracic echocardiography, focused assessment with sonography in trauma, lung ultrasound, and dynamic needle tip positioning for ultrasound-guided vascular access) and it consisted of an e-learning course followed by 4 h of practical hands-on training. Practical skills and image quality were tested 3 times during the study: at baseline, after e-learning, and after hands-on training.


RESULTS
Practical skills improved for all 4 protocols; after e-learning as well as after hands-on training. The number of students who were able to perform at least one interpretable image of the heart increased from 7 at baseline to 12 after e-learning, p<0.01, and to all 16 students after hands-on-training, p<0.01. The number of students able to cannulate an artificial vessel increased from 3 to 8 after e-learning and to 15 after hands-on training.


CONCLUSIONS
Medical students with no previous ultrasound experience demonstrated a considerable improvement in practical skill after interactive e-learning and 4 h of hands-on training.
Department of Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
J
J
Heiberg
Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
L S
LS
Hansen
Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
K
K
Wemmelund
Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
A H
AH
Sørensen
Department of Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
C
C
Ilkjaer
Department of Anaesthesia, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
E
E
Cloete
Department of Anaesthesia, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
D
D
Nolte
Department of Anaesthesia, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
F
F
Roodt
Department of Anaesthesia, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
R
R
Dyer
Department of Anaesthesia, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
J
J
Swanevelder
Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
E
E
Sloth
abdomen; heart; ultrasound; vascular
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