Point-of-care Ultrasound Training During an Emergency Medicine Clerkship: A Prospective Study

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of three-hour instructor-led training courses in the Extended Focused Assessment Sonography for Trauma (EFAST) and Rapid Ultrasound in Shock and Hypotension (RUSH) protocols on knowledge gain and retention by final-year medical students. Methods This prospective study evaluated 79 final year medical students participating in an emergency medicine (EM) clerkship during the 2017-2018 academic year. None of the included students had prior formal ultrasound training or hands-on experience. All students participated in three-hour training courses on the EFAST and RUSH protocols, with training on each protocol involving one hour of didactic training and two hours of practical training. Knowledge improvement was measured by testing before and after each course, and knowledge retention was evaluated on a final clerkship multiple choice question (MCQ) examination. Results Median scores were significantly higher after rather than before both the EFAST (15; range, 12-19 vs. 7; range, 2-18; p < 0.0001) and RUSH (16; range, 6-20 vs. 6; range, 1-13; p < 0.0001) courses. EFAST knowledge was significantly higher than RUSH knowledge before (p = 0.04) but not after (p = 0.82) taking the respective course. The RUSH score was significantly lower than the EFAST score on the final clerkship MCQ examination (p < 0.0001). Conclusions Three hours of instructor-led ultrasound training given during an EM clerkship significantly increased knowledge of both the EFAST and RUSH protocols. Knowledge retention after two weeks was higher for the EFAST than the RUSH protocol. A longer period of RUSH training may improve the retention of knowledge.

Ultrasonography in undergraduate medical education: a comprehensive review and the education program implemented at Jichi Medical University

“…An initial study conducted in the UK suggested that, in the absence of any prior experience, most medical students achieved basic competency in FAST scanning after a 5-h training course based on a comprehensive curriculum [64]. Several studies subsequently demonstrated that various training courses in FAST or EFAST with human models increased the knowledge and skills in undergraduate medical education [40,[65][66][67][68][69]. Supervised FAST and EFAST examinations in patients in addition to a brief didactic presentation and one hour of hands-on practice on normal models was effective in teaching medical students basic skills [70,71].…”

Medical Students' Competency in EFAST Components: a prospective observational study

“…As one of the most common bedside ultrasound procedures practiced in emergency departments, many medical schools worldwide have included EFAST in their emergency medicine clerkship (EMC) curriculum. [11,12]. Gogalniceanu et al and Cevik et al reported the feasibility of training medical students in FAST and EFAST scanning within short time frames, 5 hours and 4 hours, respectively [13,14].…”

Point-of-Care Ultrasound and Procedural Instruction in the Family Medicine Clerkship: A CERA Study

“…Emergency medicine, an early adopter of POCUS in clerkships, is represented most in the clerkship literature. 8,9 Several institutions include POCUS curricula linked to longitudinal specialty education across the 4 years of medical school. [10][11][12] The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of POCUS education in US and Canadian family medicine clerkships by surveying clerkship directors regarding whether and how medical student POCUS education is conducted in their clerkships and institutions, and how that compares to more traditional instruction in FM clinical procedures.…”