Clinical trial NCT06950346: Online Ultrasound Curriculum on Learning Outcomes of Post-graduate Physicians
Official title: The Impact of TMS Ultrasound Curriculum on Learning Outcomes of PGY Emergency Physicians: A Retrospective Study
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Conditions: Medical Education
Keywords: Medical education
Ultrasound
Online Training Management System
Lead sponsor: National Taiwan University Hospital
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2025-04-30
Enrollment: 800
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 20
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: RETROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Postgraduate Year (PGY) trainees are newly graduated medical doctors undergoing structured clinical training as part of their early postgraduate education. In Taiwan, the PGY program is designed to enhance foundational clinical competencies through rotations across various medical specialties, including emergency medicine.

Brief summary: This single-center retrospective study evaluates the effectiveness of the Training Management System (TMS) ultrasound curriculum on the learning outcomes of PGY emergency physicians. By analyzing test scores and course participation data from 2018 to 2025, the study investigates whether blended learning improves PoCUS proficiency and explores its potential role in enhancing ultrasound education for junior physicians.

Detailed description: Current point-of-care ultrasound education faces multiple challenges. Traditional teaching methods, such as didactic lectures and bedside one-on-one training, are constrained by time, clinical workload, and faculty availability, leading to inconsistent learning outcomes. Additionally, PGY physicians, due to their limited clinical experience, struggle to develop proficiency in ultrasound in a randomized learning environment. The quality of ultrasound image acquisition and diagnostic accuracy is also highly dependent on the operator's experience. In recent years, online learning platforms, such as the Training Management System, have been introduced to enhance learning flexibility. However, the long-term impact of such platforms on trainees' clinical application remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the impact of the TMS ultrasound curriculum on the learning outcomes of PGY emergency physicians and explore the feasibility of a blended learning approach in improving ultrasound skill application. This single-center retrospective study analyzes test data from PGY trainees who participated in emergency PoCUS training between 2018 and 2025, including post-course test scores, objective structured clinical examination scores, and self-reported TMS course participation. The findings of this study may provide insights into the effectiveness of online and blended learning models in developing ultrasound proficiency among junior physicians and inform future medical education curriculum design.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. PGY trainees who participated in the Department of Emergency Medicine ultrasound training program during the study period.
2. Trainees with complete course participation records and assessment results.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Non-PGY participants (e.g., senior residents, attending physicians, medical students).
2. Incomplete assessment data that prevents a full evaluation of learning outcomes.
3. Any abnormal data not meeting study criteria (e.g., recording errors or duplicate entries).

Primary outcomes:
measure: Mean Post-Course Test Score
timeFrame: From enrollment to the end of the test at 8 weeks
measure: Mean OSCE Rating Score
timeFrame: From enrollment to completion of OSCE at 8 weeks.
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
References:
citation: Joji RM, Kumar AP, Almarabheh A, Dar FK, Deifalla AH, Tayem Y, Ismaeel AY, Bindayna K, Tabbara KS, Farid E, Shadab M, Al Mahmeed A, Shahid M. Perception of online and face to face microbiology laboratory sessions among medical students and faculty at Arabian Gulf University: a mixed method study. BMC Med Educ. 2022 May 30;22(1):411. doi: 10.1186/s12909-022-03346-2.
citation: Harel-Sterling M. Can you teach a hands-on skill online? A scoping review of e-learning for point-of-care ultrasound in medical education. Can Med Educ J. 2023 Dec 30;14(6):66-77. doi: 10.36834/cmej.75272. eCollection 2023 Dec.
citation: Lien WC, Chang CH, Chong KM, Wu MC, Wu CY, Wang HP. Clinical utilization of point-of-care ultrasound by junior emergency medicine residents. Med Ultrason. 2022 Aug 31;24(3):270-276. doi: 10.11152/mu-3425. Epub 2022 Jan 19.