Integrating ultrasound education and resources within undergraduate medical education in order to Bring Ultrasound Internationally for Long-term Development (BUILD)

Abstract

Aims: At the Ohio State University College of Medicine, medical students have the option to train in ultrasound and take part in global electives where they can utilize clinical ultrasound. This presents the opportunity for medical students to engage in bidirectional sharing of medical and ultrasound knowledge in geographic regions with limited resources. We developedBringing Ultrasound Internationally for Long-term development (BUILD), a longitudinal course, to provide standardized ultrasound education to students planning to enroll in global health electives.Material and methods: This was a pilot study of the BUILD curriculum. Third-year medical students planning to complete a global health elective were invited to participate. Enrolled students completed an online curriculum, hands-on scanning, and pathology sessions, which augmented the predeparture Global Health course work. Students received two resource assessments: one to be completed by the student, and one to be completed by the on-site preceptor. Main outcomes measured were number of enrolled students, primary indications for imaging, and number of scans per-day.Results: In total, 152 students participated in the study and traveled to 22 different global sites in Low-Income Countries (LIC’s). All enrolled students completed the curriculum. Between 3 and 25 scans were performed per day and the leading indication for ultrasound imaging was obstetric and abdominal pain evaluation.Conclusions: The BUILD curriculum is a feasible construct to prepare students for using ultrasound during global electives. Students successfully performed proctored scans in a variety of settings. This format can be adopted by other institutions to further support student and global ultrasound programs.