Wireless Ultrasound Devices in Anatomy Education: Insights from Medical Undergraduates

Point-of-care ultrasound has become an important part of patient care, and the increased use thereof has led to a greater demand for the integration of ultrasound training in the early medical undergraduate curriculum. The use of handheld wireless ultrasound devices is not currently integrated within the undergraduate anatomy medical curriculum of Stellenbosch University and the additional value of wireless ultrasonography, in relation to the clinical practice of anatomical knowledge, therefore, warranted further investigation. This study aimed to explore undergraduate medical students' perceptions of the use of handheld wireless ultrasound scanning to enhance knowledge and understanding of anatomy for clinical application. During the dissection sessions, students visualized anatomical structures of the musculoskeletal system, by scanning themselves, using handheld, wireless ultrasound devices. After the session, an electronic survey was distributed to the students and three ultrasonography questions were included in the routine practical test. Eighty-one survey responses were collected, with 41 of those responses being completed. The highest student agreement in the Likert scale survey was observed when assessing the convenience of practice of wireless ultrasound devices, while the lowest agreement was reported for confidence in the participant's capability of generating ultrasound images. Two main themes were developed from the open-ended questions at the end of the survey: the instructional integration of ultrasound and ultrasound within the clinical setting. This research demonstrated that readily available access to handheld wireless ultrasound scanning has the potential to enhance students' longitudinal learning experience and improve anatomical comprehension. As future clinicians, improved understanding could aid ultrasound application in the clinical realm.