What type of study is this?

This is a Quasi-Experimental study.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate the effectiveness of a hands-on POCUS curriculum in undergraduate medical education.

February 14, 2026BMC Medical Education0 citationsOpen Access

Outcomes of a quasiexperimental study of a hands-on POCUS curriculum in undergraduate medical education

HRHassan H Rahhal MSMaíra Dias SouzaHospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo RHRaphael Valente de Lima HenriquesHospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo

Key Points

To evaluate the effectiveness of a hands-on POCUS curriculum in undergraduate medical education.
Prospective quasiexperimental study with 159 medical students.
Participants underwent a 2-hour hands-on POCUS session.
Assessments of image interpretation skills were conducted at three time points.
97% of participants reported satisfaction with the educational program.
Significant increase in image interpretation scores observed (chi-squared = 76.6, p < 0.001).
78.6% of participants applied POCUS in real patients during the clerkship.

Abstract

Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) education is increasingly provided in medical schools. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding how to teach POCUS to undergraduate students. The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate a teaching strategy within the Internal Medicine clerkship. The Kirkpatrick framework is used to evaluate an educational program on four levels (reaction, learning, behavior, and results). We evaluated our program on the first three levels. We enrolled 159 medical students in a single-center, prospective, quasiexperimental study between 2023 and 2024. The intervention comprised a 2-h hands-on session. The participants completed three time-point assessments to test their image interpretation skills (precourse, postcourse, and a 6-month follow-up). Friedman and Dunn's tests were used to compare results. Twenty-six participants were assessed on their ability to acquire images from patients. Satisfaction and behaviors were surveyed. A linear mixed model was applied to identify variables that influence improvements in image interpretation. Among the 140 respondents at the end of the clerkship, 136 (97%) were satisfied with the intervention. Among the 78 respondents who completed the follow-up survey at 6 months, 73 (93%) reported that the intervention contributed to their ability to perform POCUS again. There was a significant increase in the interpretation of images assessed at the three time points (9/20 vs. 14.5/20 vs. 14/20, chi-squared = 76.6, p 0.99). Image acquisition skills ( N = 26) suggested high proficiency for non-cardiac views, but substantial challenges in cardiac windows. POCUS application in real patients was reported by 110/140 participants (78.6%) and 42/78 participants (53.9%) during the clerkship and at the 6-month follow-up, respectively. This teaching strategy was associated with high student satisfaction and significant learning and retention of interpretation skills. Given the non-controlled design and reliance on self-reported behavioral data, these findings suggest a positive impact on undergraduate education rather than establishing definitive effectiveness.

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