Authors:	Weimer, Johannes Rolef, Peter Müller, Lukas Bellhäuser, Henrik Göbel, Sebastian Buggenhagen, Holger Weimer, Andreas Waezsada, Elias Kirchhoff, Friederike Weinmann-Menke, Julia
Title:	FoCUS cardiac ultrasound training for undergraduates based on current national guidelines : a prospective, controlled, single-center study on transferability
Online publication date:	18-Aug-2023
Year of first publication:	2023
Language:	english
Abstract:	Introduction In emergency and critical-care medicine, focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) is indispensable for assessing a patient’s cardiac status. The aim of this study was to establish and validate a peer-to-peer–supported ultrasound course for learning FoCUS-specific skills during undergraduate studies at a German university. Methods A 1-day, 12 teaching units training course was developed for students in the clinical section of medical college, with content based on the current national guidelines. A total of 217 students participated in the study (97 in the course group and 120 in the control group). The course and the participants’ subjective assessment of improved skills were evaluated using a questionnaire (7-point Likert scale; 7 = complete agreement and 1 = no agreement at all). Objective learning gains were assessed by tests before and after the course. These consisted of a test of figural intelligence (eight items) and a test of technical knowledge (13 items). Results The course participants experienced significant improvement (P < 0.001) from before to after the course, with a large effect size of η2part = 0.26. In addition, the course group had significantly better results (P < 0.001) than the control group in the post-test, with a medium to large effect size of η2part = 0.14. No significant differences (P = 0.27) were detected in the test section on figural intelligence. The evaluations showed that the participants had a high degree of satisfaction with the course approach, teaching materials, and tutors. There was also a positive increase in their subjective assessment of their own skills, including areas such as technical knowledge, ultrasound anatomy, and performance of the examination. Conclusion The results of both the objective learning assessment and the subjective evaluations suggest that a FoCUS course originally intended for qualified physicians is equally suitable for students. With the development and provision of modern digital teaching media, even more students will be able to benefit from this approach in the future.
DDC:	610 Medizin 610 Medical sciences
Institution:	Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Department:	FB 04 Medizin
Place:	Mainz
ROR:	https://ror.org/023b0x485
DOI:	http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-9421
Version:	Published version
Publication type:	Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Document type specification:	Scientific article
License:	CC BY
Information on rights of use:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Journal:	BMC medical education 23
Pages or article number:	80
Publisher:	BioMed Central
Publisher place:	London
Issue date:	2023
ISSN:	1472-6920
Publisher DOI:	10.1186/s12909-023-04062-1
Appears in collections:	DFG-491381577-G