Integrating Ultrasound Teaching into Preclinical Problem-based Learning

Students' and junior doctors' perspectives on radiology education in medical school: a qualitative study in the Netherlands

BACKGROUND

Modern medicine becomes more dependent on radiologic imaging techniques. Over the past decade, radiology has also gained more attention in the medical curricula. However, little is known with regard to students' perspectives on this subject. Therefore, this study aims to gain insight into the thoughts and ideas of medical students and junior doctors on radiology education in medical curricula.

METHODS

A qualitative, descriptive study was carried out at one medical university in the Netherlands. Participants were recruited on social media and were interviewed following a predefined topic list. The constant comparative method was applied in order to include new questions when unexpected topics arose during the interviews. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded. Codes were organized into categories and themes by discussion between researchers.

RESULTS

Fifteen participants (nine junior doctors and six students) agreed to join. From the coded interviews, four themes derived from fifteen categories arose: (1) The added value of radiology education in medical curricula, (2) Indispensable knowledge on radiology, (3) Organization of radiology education and (4) Promising educational innovations for the radiology curriculum.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that medical students and junior doctors value radiology education. It provides insights in educational topics and forms for educational improvement for radiology educators.

What works in radiology education for medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Medical imaging related knowledge and skills are widely used in clinical practice. However, radiology teaching methods and resultant knowledge among medical students and junior doctors is variable. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to compare the impact of different components of radiology teaching methods (active versus passive teaching, eLearning versus traditional face-to-face teaching) on radiology knowledge / skills of medical students.

METHODS

PubMed and Scopus databases were searched for articles published in English over a 15-year period ending in June 2021 quantitatively comparing the effectiveness of undergraduate medical radiology education programs regarding acquisition of knowledge and/or skills. Study quality was appraised by the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) scoring and analyses performed to assess for risk of bias. A random effects meta-analysis was performed to pool weighted effect sizes across studies and I2 statistics quantified heterogeneity. A meta-regression analysis was performed to assess for sources of heterogeneity.

RESULTS

From 3,052 articles, 40 articles involving 6,242 medical students met inclusion criteria. Median MERSQI score of the included articles was 13 out of 18 possible with moderate degree of heterogeneity (I2 = 93.42%). Thematic analysis suggests trends toward synergisms between radiology and anatomy teaching, active learning producing superior knowledge gains compared with passive learning and eLearning producing equivalent learning gains to face-to-face teaching. No significant differences were detected in the effectiveness of methods of radiology education. However, when considered with the thematic analysis, eLearning is at least equivalent to traditional face-to-face teaching and could be synergistic.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies of educational interventions are inherently heterogeneous and contextual, typically tailored to specific groups of students. Thus, we could not draw definitive conclusion about effectiveness of the various radiology education interventions based on the currently available data. Better standardisation in the design and implementation of radiology educational interventions and design of radiology education research are needed to understand aspects of educational design and delivery that are optimal for learning.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Prospero registration number CRD42022298607.

ITSUS: Integrated, Tiered, Self-Directed Ultrasound Scanning for Learning Anatomy

Ultrasound is being introduced into many medical schools and incorporated into the anatomy curriculum; however, in most cases, this consists of proctored sessions which can be limited by faculty time and availability. Additionally, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has significantly impacted medical education, especially ultrasound education, which has traditionally depended on hands-on practice and instruction. A structured, independent, hands-on learning curriculum using ultrasound would have many benefits. In this study, eight self-guided system-based modules were developed mirroring the undergraduate anatomy curriculum. For each scan, a beginner, intermediate, and advanced component was designed. Each module contains clear, stepwise directions for image acquisition, optimization, and interpretation of the anatomical structures and suggestions for troubleshooting. Students save ultrasound images as part of their digital portfolios for review with ultrasound faculty. This design provides an educational model to increase medical student opportunities for independent, structured, self-directed anatomy learning with ultrasound that can be integrated with existing educational programs.

Effectiveness of flipped classroom model in teaching histology for first-year MBBS students based on competency-based blended learning: An interventional study

BACKGROUND

With recent changes in the curriculum of bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MBBS) course to meet the global trends and to fulfill the standards expected from an Indian medical graduate, introduction of newer teaching methodologies becomes mandatory. The usage of flipped classroom (FCR) in medical education has always been rewarding. This study was to evaluate the effectiveness of FCR as a teaching method in comparison with traditional lectures in histology sessions in Sri Ramaswamy Memorial (SRM) Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This interventional study was conducted among the 1st year MBBS students in SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre for a period of 1 year (2018-2019 academic year). The histology sessions were taught using both traditional lectures and FCR methodology. Pre- and posttests were conducted for each traditional and FCR session with ten multiple-choice questions pertaining to that topic. Students' performance was assessed by paired t-test (for pre- and posttest comparisons) and independent t-test (for traditional and FCR posttest mark comparison) using SPSS software version 26. A feedback survey based on Likert scale was also conducted on the students and was analyzed. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Posttest marks had statistically significantly improved when compared to pretest marks (P < 0.0001) in both traditional and FCR teaching methods. Comparison of posttest marks showed statistically significantly higher marks in FCR when compared to traditional teaching (P < 0.0001). Similarly, students' feedback survey showed that FCR benefitted the students in achieving the competency required.

CONCLUSION

FCR methodology of teaching histology had a very impressive outcome and the students' perception was very positive.

Hand-held ultrasonography: An opportunity for "hands-on" teaching of medicine

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Background: As ultrasound offers students an opportunity to study anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology actively, we used hand-held ultrasound (HHU) devices to augment current teaching of cardiac murmurs and pathology. Methods: Three types of teaching sessions (of different duration) were explored: 1) compulsory teaching on cardiac murmurs (n=40); 2) extra-curricular teaching of cardiac murmurs (n=8); 3) extra-curricular ultrasound course (n=6). We assessed students' ability to identify valvular lesions on auscultation, and anatomy and pathology on echocardiography, and sought qualitative feedback. Results: Using echocardiography to teach murmurs improved murmur recognition by auscultation alone from 23% pre-test to 93% post-test (p=0.017). Students were able to identify major cardiac anatomical landmarks on echo images (57% vs 98% ( p=0.027) in the voluntary teaching session lasting 90 minutes, and 40% vs 82% ( p=0.027) after the 3 week cardiac ultrasound course. The mean accuracy for diagnosing cardiac pathology on a printed image alone after the 3 week ultrasound course was 71%. Students unanimously found the sessions useful and engaging, and reported they would like further teaching about using ultrasound. Conclusion: Medical students found the sessions engaging, enjoyed this novel way of teaching and would like further teaching using ultrasound. Using hand-held ultrasound scanners to augment the teaching of cardiac murmurs to medical students is feasible and effective.

An Integrated Interactive-Spaced Education Radiology Curriculum for Preclinical Students

Introduction:

The objective of this study is to determine whether a radiology module, together with online spaced education, helps students of an integrated problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum increase their radiology knowledge and long-term retention.

Materials and Methods:

Second-year students at the American University of Antigua College of Medicine participated in small groups of ten students each into two 2 h of radiology laboratories. The study comprised two cohorts: winter and fall 2013 students (control group) and 2014 students (experimental group). Both groups used face-to-face PBL. The students of the experimental group received additional online-spaced education. The skills were assessed for both groups before the beginning of laboratories and 4 weeks and 7 months after laboratories.

Results:

There was no significant difference on pretest between the control and experimental groups. On completion of the radiology laboratories, comparison of test results before and after training showed net improvement for both groups. The corresponding difference for the experimental group was higher compared to the one for the control group (7.83 vs. 6.21, P < 0.001). The difference between the scores on delayed test and pretest showed that the students of both groups demonstrated average knowledge improvement even though their level of performance was slightly below the posttest. The corresponding difference for the experimental group did not differ much from the posttest (P > 0.05), and no significant difference of scores was observed 7 months later for either group. Further, a higher percentage of the students in the experimental group strongly agreed that their learning objectives were met (92% vs. 71%, P > 0.001), and this trend persisted throughout the study.

Conclusion:

Online spaced education combined to a face-to-face PBL enhances not only the student's knowledge of basic radiology along with his/her self-assessment skills but also the long-term retention of radiology material and satisfaction with the integrated interactive system-based module. Future research is needed to see if medical students in need of additional education support may benefit from spaced education in the field of remediation.