Ultrasound Curricula of Student Education in Europe: Summary of the Experience

Abstract

Background Despite the increasing role of ultrasound, structured ultrasound teaching is only slowly being integrated into the curricula of medical schools and universities all over Europe. Aim To survey the current situation at European universities regarding the integration of ultrasound in student medical education and to report on models of student ultrasound training from selected European universities. Methods A questionnaire survey focusing on the implementation of curricular ultrasound education was sent out to the 28 presidents of the national ultrasound societies of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB), who were asked to distribute the questionnaires to the medical universities of their countries. Results Overall, 53 questionnaires were returned from 46 universities in 17 European countries. In most of the universities (40/46 universities, 87%), the theoretical background of ultrasound is taught. However, in only a minority of universities is ultrasound integrated in anatomy courses (8/46 universities, 17%) or basic science courses (16/46 universities, 35%). Practical skills in ultrasound are taught in 56% of the universities (26/46 universities) and tested in a practical exam in seven of the responding universities (15%). The number of hours in which ultrasound was taught ranged from one to 58 (mean, seven). The respondents reported that lack of time and limited faculty funding were major hurdles. Conclusion According to our survey, only a minority of European universities has integrated ultrasound into the preclinical curriculum thus far. Future EFSUMB initiatives will continue to promote the introduction of ultrasound as an integrative part of the core curriculum of student medical education, and the preparation of proper teaching material.

A comparison of handheld and standard ultrasound in Swiss medical students

“…[20] And in European medical schools, a 2016 survey showed that practical skills of US were taught in 56% of undergraduate medical universities; however, the mean number of hours of US instruction was only seven. [16] The same survey indicated lack of funding as one of the primary obstacles to advancing existing programs.…”

“…Due to the contemporary state of US education in Switzerland, [16] the University of Basel provided an environment of medical students with minimal to no previous US instruction. This allowed for a neutral assessment of the two different US modalities in medical students at varying stages of their education.…”

“…[15] Despite the EFSUMB's continued promotion of US in European medical education, formal US education is still at its beginnings in medical schools across Europe. [16] As a result, there has been a promotion of student-tutor-based training of US, such as the "Young Sonographers" of the Swiss Society of Ultrasound in Medicine. [17] These programs have been well received in Swiss medical schools and have proved to be successful.…”

Simulation-based training in ultrasound – where are we now?

“…In undergraduate medical education, hands-on training of basic ultrasound skills such i. e. knobology as well as interpretation of images with focus on anatomy and structure definition, has been incorporated into the medical school curriculum [9][10][11]. However, a recent survey to explore the inclusion of ultrasound training in student medical education reported that despite the increasing use of ultrasound, its integration is slow with only a minority of the European universities surveyed integrating this program into the pre-clinical curricula [12]. This remains true in postgraduate radiology education.…”

“…B. die "Knopfologie" sowie die Interpretation von Bildern mit Schwerpunkt auf Anatomie und Definition von Strukturen, in das Curriculum der medizinischen Fakultäten aufgenommen [9][10][11]. Eine kürzlich durchgeführte Umfrage zur Einbeziehung des Ultraschalltrainings in die studentische medizinische Ausbildung zeigte, dass die Integration der Sonografie trotz zunehmender Anwendung nur langsam erfolgt und nur sehr wenige der befragten europäischen Universitäten ein solches Programm in das vorklinische Curriculum eingebaut haben [12].…”