Building a Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Curriculum in Undergraduate Medical Education Through Stepwise Development and Assessment.

Abstract

Background: Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) training is increasingly incorporated in undergraduate medical education (UME). However, limited resources and lack of standard guidelines lead to questions regarding the most effective curriculum and assessment method. The authors aimed to develop a longitudinal UME POCUS curriculum through staged intervention. Year 1, which involved simulation alone, led to improved confidence without adequate knowledge. The authors hypothesized that the addition of resident-led workshops alongside faculty-led lectures would improve POCUS knowledge and confidence among third-year medical students.

Methods: A prospective cohort study of third-year students on the Internal Medicine (IM) clerkship at a large academic medical center was performed, assessing efficacy of stepwise POCUS curriculum development. Previously implemented year 1 involved comparing the control cohort receiving baseline POCUS education on rounds with the experimental cohort that had access to a high-fidelity POCUS simulator. The year 2 cohort added hands-on resident-led POCUS workshops. The year 3 cohort added faculty-led lectures. All cohorts completed pre- and post-intervention confidence and knowledge-based examinations. The year 1 control cohort served as a control for the current study.

Results: A total of 69 and 102 students completed both pre-/post-tests among year 2 and 3 cohorts, respectively. Both cohorts demonstrated statistically significant improvement in POCUS knowledge and confidence, with greater magnitude of improvement in year 3 with overall knowledge improving from 49.9% to 66.7% on pre- to post-intervention examination (p<0.0001).

Conclusion: While simulation alone was insufficient to instill knowledge, the addition of resident-led workshops and faculty-led lectures demonstrated benefits in POCUS knowledge and confidence among medical students and represents a sustainable model of training.