Development of the ultrasonography learning model for undergraduate medical students: A case study of the Faculty of Medicine, Burapha University

Background: Ultrasound technology is generally considered to be reliable and widely used by physicians today. Therefore, given the efficacy and popularity of the technology, the need for quality ultrasound education is evident. Ultrasound training for undergraduate medical students has been increasingly incorporated into school curriculums, but the teaching methods can vary significantly among medical schools. Among many different choices, one effective teaching model was proposed which added hands-on ultrasound experience on live patients that was supervised by radiologists in the last clinical year. Methods: A 2-week radiology elective course was offered for 6th-year medical students at Burapha University Hospital, Chonburi, Thailand in the academic year 2014. Fourteen medical students participated in the elective course. Additionally, students who chose radiology as their elective were provided an ultrasound experience on live patients in real-life clinical settings. All 6th-year medical students then completed a 25-ultrasound image quiz, and completed a questionnaire at the end of the academic year. The ultrasound test scores were compared between the elective and nonelective students. The students' background characteristics were determined by a grade point average and the ultrasound experience was determined by the number of scans. These were collected, and analyzed to establish their relationship with the ultrasound test scores. The students' opinions were also surveyed. Results: Fourteen medical students participated in the elective course. The ultrasound test scores in the elective group were significantly higher than those in the nonelective group (p=0.013). The students' background characteristics and ultrasound experience had no significant relationship with the ultrasound test scores. Conclusion: By adding hands-on ultrasound experience using live patients proctored by radiologists for final year medical students, in the space of 2 weeks, an effective ultrasound learning model for undergraduate medical students can be provided. This model should be considered in the curricular design

Agreement of total corneal power between 2 swept-source optical coherence tomography and Scheimpflug tomography in normal and keratoconic patients.

PurposeTo evaluate agreement of total corneal power (TCP) measured by swept-source anterior segment optical coherence tomography (CASIA 2), Scheimpflug tomography (Pentacam AXL), and swept-source optical biometer (IOLMaster 700) in normal and keratoconic patients.MethodsThis is a prospective observational study conducted at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. Biometric values were measured by each device for three times by two operators to evaluate repeatability and reproducibility of TCP. The agreement of TCP and other parameters including total corneal astigmatism, anterior keratometry, anterior corneal astigmatism, posterior keratometry, posterior corneal astigmatism, anterior chamber depth, white-to-white corneal diameter (WTW), central corneal thickness, and intraocular power were also evaluated.ResultsThis study enrolled 100 healthy participants and 34 patients with keratoconus. The repeatability and reproducibility of TCP were high in all devices (ICC > 0.9). The agreement of TCP was excellent among three devices in both groups (ICC > 0.9). However, the agreement of TCP between CASIA 2 and IOLMaster 700 was slightly lower in healthy participants (ICC = 0.867) and keratoconic patients (ICC = 0.852) with mean differences of more than 1.0 diopter is clinically significant. Wider 95% limit of agreement were found in keratoconic eyes. Most of other parameters showed good to excellent agreement except WTW which showed poor to moderate agreement in both groups. IOL power showed clinically significant differences in patients with keratoconus.ConclusionsThe agreement of TCP measured by three devices was excellent in normal and keratoconic patients. However, TCP cannot be used interchangeably between devices