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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Ultrasound Int Open 2024; 10
DOI: 10.1055/a-2275-0702
Review

Evidence-based Ultrasound Education? – A Systematic Literature Review of Undergraduate Ultrasound Training Studies

Ricarda Neubauer 
1   Clinic of Internal Medicine III Department of Oncology, Hematology, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany (Ringgold ID: RIN39062)
2   Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany (Ringgold ID: RIN39062)
,
Claus Juergen Bauer 
1   Clinic of Internal Medicine III Department of Oncology, Hematology, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany (Ringgold ID: RIN39062)
,
Christoph F. Dietrich 
3   Department General Internal Medicine, Kliniken Hirslanden Beau Site, Salem und Permanence, Bern, Switzerland
,
Brigitte Strizek 
2   Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany (Ringgold ID: RIN39062)
,
Valentin Sebastian Schäfer 
1   Clinic of Internal Medicine III Department of Oncology, Hematology, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany (Ringgold ID: RIN39062)
,
Florian Recker 
2   Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany (Ringgold ID: RIN39062)
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Abstract

Despite a large number of studies previously conducted on educational concepts of ultrasound teaching in medical school, various controversial issues remain. Currently, recommendations for ultrasound curricula that aim to standardize ultrasound teaching are frequently based on expert panel advice instead of relying on valid evidence-based literature. In December 2022, a systematic literature review on the subject of undergraduate ultrasound education was conducted. All ultrasound studies listed in the PubMed and Google Scholar medical databases were filtered and analyzed with respect to various aspects of their methodological conduct and curricular implementation. A total of 259 publications were considered in the data synthesis, including 145 teaching studies in the field of undergraduate ultrasound education. The latter encompassed 58 (40%) studies that did not compare their ultrasound training to a control group. Furthermore, 84 (58%) of these studies did not assess knowledge prior to the applied ultrasound training, neglecting this factor’s potential influence on study outcomes. Despite a great interest in the development and further implementation of ultrasound education during medical school, this process is still compromised by significant deficiencies in studies that have been conducted in the past. In order to provide a valid basis for curricular decisions, teaching studies should fulfill essential methodological requirements despite the multifactorial framework in which they are conducted. In the future, a guide for the design of ultrasound studies could be a useful aid for ultrasound enthusiasts and promote scientific knowledge gain.

Keywords

methods & techniques - ultrasound - themes - education - medical student

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 10 October 2023

Accepted after revision: 15 February 2024

Article published online:
26 March 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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Bibliographical Record
Ricarda Neubauer, Claus Juergen Bauer, Christoph F. Dietrich, Brigitte Strizek, Valentin Sebastian Schäfer, Florian Recker. Evidence-based Ultrasound Education? – A Systematic Literature Review of Undergraduate Ultrasound Training Studies. Ultrasound Int Open 2024; 10.
DOI: 10.1055/a-2275-0702
 

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