Evaluation of a point of care ultrasound curriculum for Indonesian physicians taught by first-year medical students

Abstract

BACKGROUND:The purpose of this study was to assess the short-term effi cacy of a 4-week ultrasound curriculum taught by American fi rst-year medical students to general practitioners working in public health care clinics, or puskesmas, in Bandung, Indonesia. METHODS:We performed a prospective, observational study of Indonesian health care practitioners from public clinics in Bandung, Indonesia. These practitioners were enrolled in a 4-week ultrasound training course taught by first-year American medical students. A total of six sessions were held comprising of 38 ultrasound milestones. A pre-course and post-course written exam and practical exam was taken by each participant. RESULTS:We enrolled 41 clinicians in the course. The average pre-course exam score was 35.2% with a 2.4% pass rate, whereas the average post-course exam score was 82.0% with a 92.7% pass rate. The average practical score at the completion of the course was 83.2% (SD=0.145) with 82.9% of the class passing (score above 75.0%). CONCLUSION:Our data suggests that first-year medical students can effectively teach ultrasound to physicians in Indonesia using a 4-week intensive ultrasound training course. Future studies are needed to determine the amount of training required for profi ciency and to evaluate the physicians' perceptions of the student-instructors' depth of knowledge and skill in point of care ultrasound.

Evaluation of a point‐of‐care ultrasound curriculum taught by medical students for physicians, nurses, and midwives in rural Indonesia

“…Our data indicate that medical students are capable of effectively teaching POCUS to Indonesian physicians, nurses, and midwives in a 9 Several studies have demonstrated that midwives can be trained to perform obstetric US scans in rural settings that significantly impact clinical decision making, 16 and that midwives with obstetric US training are capable of using US to identify high-risk pregnancies and screen for fetal structural abnormalities. [17][18][19] In a rural setting where nurses and midwives make up the majority of health-care providers, POCUS training for nurses and midwives could be utilized to screen for conditions requiring emergent treatment or surgical intervention.…”

“…During the practical examination, health‐care practitioners were able to identify basic anatomy as well as demonstrate knowledge of a variety of pathology using POCUS. Previous studies have shown that first‐year medical students with one year of integrated US training are capable of teaching POCUS to Indonesian primary care physicians . Several studies have demonstrated that midwives can be trained to perform obstetric US scans in rural settings that significantly impact clinical decision making, and that midwives with obstetric US training are capable of using US to identify high‐risk pregnancies and screen for fetal structural abnormalities .…”

“…Previous studies have shown that medical students are able to accurately identify and interpret US findings after a short period of training . In turn, medical students are capable of serving as educators to their peers and are able to effectively teach US to clinicians in other countries …”

“…8 In turn, medical students are capable of serving as educators to their peers and are able to effectively teach US to clinicians in other countries. 9,10 In the Indonesian health-care system, nurses and midwives often serve as the main health-care providers in physician-limited areas.…”

Ultrasound curriculum taught by first-year medical students: A four-year experience in Tanzania

“…[19][20][21] Previously, physician education in diagnostic sonography was withheld until residency and varied widely between specialties. [22] Physician time constraints create unique challenges for providing instruction for courses of long duration, thereby raising the question of whether instruction could be competently performed by medical students. Studies have shown that given proper means and instruction, pre-clinical medical students can obtain a level of understanding of ultrasonography comparable to a resident.…”