Efficacy of a Point-of-Care Transthoracic Echocardiography Workshop for Medical Students

Abstract Objective : To assess efficacy of a five-week Point-of-Care Transthoracic Echocardiography Workshop for Medical Students. Design : Prospective, time-series design. Setting : A single-institution, including students at one United States medical school. Participants : Eight second- and third-year medical students. Interventions : Subjects enrolled in a voluntary educational workshop, designed to teach basic point-of-care transthoracic echocardiography. Measurements and Results : The primary outcome was change on the total exam score (0 – 100) that assessed hands-on performance of four basic transthoracic echocardiography views, identification of relevant anatomy, and echocardiography knowledge. Secondary outcomes were scores on the practical (0 - 40) and written (0 - 60) subsections of the exam. Mean and standard deviation (±SD) total exam scores increased to 83.6 (±5.2) after the workshop vs. 54 (±7.1) at baseline, p Conclusion : Results of this pilot study indicate the workshop curriculum may be an effective way to teach basic point-of-care TTE to medical students.