Effectiveness of a Short Course on Undergraduate Medical Students' Acquisition of Basic Ultrasound Skills: Findings from a Saudi University

BACKGROUND: Medical schools in Saudi Arabia generally do not integrate ultrasound training in undergraduate medical study despite its widespread use. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficiency of a short course in acquiring basic ultrasound skills at the undergraduate medical level. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fourth-year medical students of Jazan University (2016/2017; N = 118) were divided into 13 groups. A radiology expert provided each group with a 50-min lecture on “ultrasound in clinical practice” and a 2-h hands-on ultrasound training session. Then, the students were invited to participate in the study by completing a questionnaire eliciting data regarding their opinion, experiences, and satisfaction level for the session and then undertaking skill assessment using two OSCE stations. RESULTS: Eighty-one students (68.6%) were enrolled in the study (male: 42; female: 39). The mean scores were high for handling the probe (4.33 ± 1.01) and identifying kidney (4.46 ± 1.08) and liver (4.22 ± 0.97), and moderate for identifying spleen (3.89 ± 0.75), aorta (3.35 ± 0.44), and hepatorenal pouch (3.05 ± 0.35). The students were highly satisfied with the course (4.37 ± 1.01). In the first OSCE station that assessed ultrasound techniques, the mean score was 14.96 (of 18 points; 83.11%) for males and 15.40 (85.56%) for females. In the second station that used static ultrasound image with common pathology, the mean score was 2.4 (of 2.5 points) for both males and females. CONCLUSION: Undergraduate medical students in this study gained adequate skills and satisfaction in terms of using ultrasound and identifying anatomy following the short course. This study highlights the benefits of introducing programs dedicated to ultrasound for undergraduate medical students in Saudi Arabia.