Introducing Final-Year Medical Students to Pocket-Sized Ultrasound Imaging: Teaching Transthoracic Echocardiography...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Anesthesiology

Background:

• Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly integrated into medical training.
• The Chinese University of Hong Kong introduced handheld transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) into the final-year medical curriculum.
• This initiative aimed to enhance perioperative assessment skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a short training course on TTE for final-year medical students.
• To assess students' ability to perform and interpret basic TTE views.
• To gather student feedback on the educational initiative.

Main Methods:

• A 2-week anesthesia rotation included a half-day TTE training session for 133 final-year students.
• Students learned 9 basic TTE views using 4 probe positions.
• Supervised TTE examinations were performed weekly, with results compared to supervisor assessments.

Main Results:

• Most students efficiently learned basic TTE views and demonstrated favorable success in identifying cardiac anomalies.
• Color Doppler use was also assessed with variable success.
• Identified errors were correctable, though logistical challenges in supervision were noted.

Conclusions:

• A short TTE training course was successfully implemented within the final-year medical curriculum.
• The initiative provides a model for other departments to develop specialty-specific ultrasound training.
• Positive student feedback suggests the value of integrating POCUS into medical education.