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Published on: August 9, 2024
Unlocking Musculoskeletal Anatomy: Enhancing Second-Year Medical Students' Knowledge Recall and Self-Efficacy with a
Nathan Cowan1, Abdus Sattar2, Qian Wu2
1Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH USA.
Introduction:
The purpose of this study was to determine whether exposure to musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound (US) enhanced medical students' knowledge and self-efficacy in understanding basic US principles, MSK anatomy and physical examination, and use of US to evaluate MSK structures.
Materials And Methods:
Forty-three second-year medical students were divided into control (n = 22) and experimental (n = 21) groups. All participants completed a pre-session self-efficacy questionnaire and were encouraged to view a recorded 20-min MSK US lecture. All participants then attended a physician-led 35-min MSK US hands-on scanning session covering the shoulder and knee. The control group took a multiple-choice assessment before the session, while the experimental group took the same assessment after the session. All participants completed a post-session self-efficacy questionnaire. After the session, the physician instructors attended a 30-min Zoom focus group.
Results:
Participants' self-efficacy in understanding basic US principles, knee and shoulder anatomy, physical examination, and sonoanatomy significantly improved after the MSK US session (all p < 0.01). Participants who took the content assessment after the MSK US session outperformed participants who took the assessment before the MSK US session (p = 0.02). Qualitative open-ended question responses from students and instructor focus group discussion detailed strengths and shortcomings and proposed actionable improvements for future iterations of the MSK US curriculum.
Conclusion:
When implemented at a point in the preclinical curriculum where US experience was previously absent, a single, focused physician-led 35-min US session covering the shoulder and knee is an effective adjunct educational tool for preclinical medical students to reinforce US basics, MSK anatomy and physical examination and improve self-efficacy in MSK US scanning.
Supplementary Information:
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-025-02414-8.
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