RESUMO
Resumen: En los últimos años la ecografía a la cabecera del paciente ha crecido exponencialmente. Su aplicación es observada en el quirófano, en las unidades de cuidados intensivos, en urgencias, en la atención de primer nivel e incluso en el trabajo de campo. Es tan versátil que facilita el diagnóstico, mejora la monitorización de los pacientes y apoya en los procedimientos invasivos, todo esto de forma segura y eficaz. En el área de la educación médica ha permeado hasta el pregrado, donde ya se le propone como una herramienta didáctica que permite la vinculación entre el conocimiento de las ciencias básicas y la aplicación clínica. La ecografía corresponde a uno de los instrumentos más versátiles en la medicina contemporánea, por lo que se hace obligada y prioritaria una mayor capacitación e investigación en el tema.
Abstract: In recent years, ultrasound at the patient's bedside has exponentially grown. Its application has been observed in the operating room, intensive care units, emergency rooms, first-level care and even in field work. It is so versatile that it facilitates diagnosis, improves patient monitoring and supports invasive procedures, all in a safe and effective manner. It has been used as a didactic tool in medical education that helps create a link between basic sciences and clinical application. Ultrasound is one of the most versatile instruments in contemporary medicine, hence, more training and research in the subject is a must and a priority.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Biomedical Informatics (BMI) education in medical schools is developing a sound curricular base, but there are few published reports of their educational usefulness. The goal of this paper is to assess knowledge change and satisfaction in medical students after a BMI curriculum. METHODS: The National Autonomous University of México Faculty of Medicine (UNAM) recently implemented a curricular reform that includes two BMI sequential courses (BMI-1 and BMI-2). The research design was one-group pretest-posttest. An objective test with evidence of validity was used for knowledge measurement. A satisfaction questionnaire was applied at the end of the courses. Two-tailed paired Student's t-tests were applied, comparing knowledge scores in the pre and post-test for each course. RESULTS: The study included student cohorts during two consecutive academic years. The 2013 BMI-1 course (n = 986 students) knowledge pretest score was 43.0 ± 8.6 (mean percent correct ± SD), and the post-test score was 57.7 ± 10.3 (p < 0.001); the 2014 BMI-1 (n = 907) pretest score was 43.7 ± 8.5, and the post-test was 58.1 ± 10.5 (p < 0.001). The 2012 BMI-2 course (n = 683) pretest score was 26.3 ± 7.9, the post-test score was 44.3 ± 13.3 (p < 0.001); the 2013 BMI-2 (n = 926) pretest score was 27.5 ± 7.5, and the post-test was 42.0 ± 11.0 (p < 0.001). The overall opinion of the students regarding the course was from good to excellent, with a response rate higher than 90%. The satisfaction questionnaires had high reliability (Cronbach's alpha of 0.93). CONCLUSIONS: The study shows a significant increase in BMI knowledge after an educational intervention in four medical student cohorts, and an overall positive evaluation by the students. Long-term follow-up is needed, as well as controlled studies of BMI educational interventions using performance endpoints.