Short-term and sustained impact of a one-day cardiac POCUS training for medical students

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Cardiac point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly regarded as the "fifth pillar" of the physical examination and has been integrated into numerous undergraduate medical curricula. Conventional educational approaches typically combine didactic instruction with practical hands-on training. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of these short-duration interventions and the durability of the acquired skills over time remains insufficiently studied. Purpose To assess the immediate effect of a one-day educational program on medical students’ ability to acquire fundamental cardiac POCUS views, and to evaluate the retention of these skills over a subsequent two-week period. Methods A one-day educational course on cardiac POCUS was delivered to sixth-year medical students. The program comprised a focused didactic lecture followed by a structured hands-on training session. Participants received concise preparatory materials on basic echocardiographic principles one week in advance. Proficiency in acquiring four standard cardiac POCUS views—parasternal long-axis, apical four-chamber, subxiphoid four-chamber, and inferior vena cava—was evaluated using an observed structured clinical examination (OSCE) at three time points: immediately before the intervention, immediately after, and two weeks post-training. Results Thirty medical students completed the initial training and OSCEs, with 25 of them participating in the follow-up assessment. The mean OSCE score increased significantly from 24.3 at baseline to 33.8 immediately post-training [mean increase: 9.5, 95% confidence interval (CI): 7.1–12.0; p < 0.001]. At the two-week follow-up, a decline was noted, with a mean score of 30.0 [mean decrease: 3.7, 95% CI: 0.6–6.8; p = 0.022]. Nevertheless, performance remained significantly improved compared to baseline [mean increase: 6.3, 95% CI: 3.0–9.6; p = 0.001]. Conclusions A single-day educational intervention combining didactic and practical components significantly enhances medical students’ proficiency in acquiring basic cardiac POCUS views. However, without reinforcement, these skills decline over time. To maintain competency, sustained educational strategies—such as longitudinal curricula, structured feedback, or integration of technological tools including artificial intelligence—should be exploredEducational program in cardiac POCUS Comparison of students’ OSCE assessments

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