Work

Investigating medical students’ perceptions of point-of-care ultrasound integration into preclinical education

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Recent international consensus statements advocate for the integration of Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) into the global undergraduate medical curriculum. Some medical schools outside Saudi Arabia have already incorporated PoCUS into their undergraduate curricula to enhance anatomy, physiology and pathology instruction. However, there are no data on the potential role of PoCUS in the preclinical training of medical students in Saudi Arabia. Given constraints on resources for medical education, a formal needs assessment was conducted to evaluate the potential utility of PoCUS within the basic science curriculum at our institution. All final year medical students at our institution were invited to complete a validated online survey. The questionnaire utilized a 5-point Likert scale to assess student perceptions of the potential for PoCUS to improve their understanding of basic sciences and their desire for its incorporation into the preclinical curriculum. A total of 229 students participated (response rate 76%; male 134/200; female 95/100). Our survey demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: learning basic sciences 0.81, need for curriculum integration 0.83). The vast agreed that learning PoCUS would enhance their understanding of anatomy (95%) and pathology (75%). While only 52% agreed that learning PoCUS would improve their understanding of physiology, a substantial majority (80%) agreed that all medical schools should incorporate PoCUS into their undergraduate curricula. Furthermore, 62% agreed that offering PoCUS training would make the medical school more attractive to prospective applicants. No significant differences were observed between the responses of male and female students. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis provide strong support for the hypothesized three-factor model. All factor loadings are significant (P < 0.001), Medical students in Saudi Arabia perceive that PoCUS would be a valuable tool to learn anatomy and pathology, aligning with the recommendations of the consensus conference on PoCUS integration in undergraduate medical education organized by the World Interactive Network Focused on Critical Ultrasound (WINFOCUS) and the Society of Ultrasound in Medical Education (SUSME). Introducing PoCUS training into preclinical medical curricula may also enhance the attractiveness of medical schools to potential applicants. Aligning with Global Trends: Integrating PoCUS into Undergraduate Medical Education. Our study adds to the growing momentum for Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) training in medical education. Building upon the recent proposal for a global PoCUS curriculum by WINFOCUS and SUSME, our findings demonstrate that Saudi Arabian medical students perceive PoCUS as a valuable tool for enhancing their grasp of basic sciences. This strong student support reinforces the case for integrating PoCUS into pre-clinical medical curricula throughout Saudi Arabia. The survey instrument developed for this study (Appendix 1) is a valuable tool for universities worldwide, allowing them to conduct similar needs assessments tailored to their specific contexts and contribute to the global adoption of PoCUS education.

Source: BMC Medical Education

DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-06501-z

Authors: Rajkumar Rajendram, Abdullah Olayan Alrasheed, Abdulaziz Ahmed Boqaeid, Faris Khalid Alkharashi, Salman Sufian Qasim, Arif Hussain