Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 10, 2026

Using Simulation Models to Train Clinicians in the Use of Point-of-Care Ultrasound
Published on: August 9, 2024
POCUS for the People: A Rounds-Integrated Point-of-Care Ultrasound Curriculum for Medical Students at a Guatemalan
Philip K Angelides1, Roger León2, Austin Stelmach3
1Division of Hospital Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA. Philip.Angelides@CUAnschutz.edu.
Background:
Internal medicine (IM) education in resource-limited hospitals is constrained by heavy workloads and imaging limited to plain radiography. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) supports experiential learning and diagnostic reasoning, yet no rounds-integrated IM curricula have been described in Latin America, and most programs stop short of practice-based bedside assessment.
Aim:
To implement and evaluate a rounds-integrated POCUS curriculum in a resource-limited IM setting.
Setting:
Hospital Nacional de Coatepeque (228-bed Guatemalan public hospital).
Participants:
Eight final-year medical students without formal ultrasound training.
Program Description:
The curriculum combined flipped-classroom prework, a 2-day course focused on pleural and abdominal fluid detection, and a 2-month longitudinal program embedding POCUS into daily rounds, with Butterfly Cloud portfolio review, WhatsApp-based feedback, and designation of three learners as local "champions" in a train-the-trainer model.
Program Evaluation:
Knowledge and confidence gains largely persisted at 2 months. Hands-on performance was strongest for pelvic/bladder view acquisition, artifact recognition, and image optimization, and lowest for spine sign recognition and probe orientation and manipulation. Barriers included probe scarcity and limited institutional support; champions emerged as key drivers of peer learning.
Discussion:
Rounds-integrated POCUS training is feasible in resource-limited settings and may support early skill development when paired with longitudinal mentorship and local champion development.
Related Concept Videos
Primary Healthcare Services
In 1978, international leaders convened in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, for what would be a pivotal event in global health. The Alma-Ata Declaration was the first to call...
Ultrasound I: Abdominal Ultrasonography
Abdominal ultrasonography, commonly known as abdominal ultrasound, is a vital, non-invasive medical imaging technique widely used in healthcare.
Procedure:
This diagnostic tool allows the clinician to visually inspect internal structures within the abdomen, including vital organs such as the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, and spleen.
The abdominal ultrasound process begins with applying a special gel to the patient's skin over the abdomen. This gel enhances the...
Patient-centered Care
Ultrasound II: Endoscopic Ultrasound and FibroScan
Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS):
Integrated Healthcare System
Imaging Studies II: Ultrasonography

