Background/Purpose: Teledidactic and peer-to-peer teaching are promising approaches to promote musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) training locally and globally. Given the constraints in personnel and time, the identification of suitable intervals for repetition and reinforcement is crucial for effective and sustainable MSUS programs. However, the long-term impact of teledidactic ultrasound training, especially for students, remains unexplored. This study assessed the long-term retention of MSUS skills among medical students that had undergone an elective using a combined peer-tutored teledidactic approach, involving remote instruction and portable ultrasound devices for one student group, compared to a traditional on-campus course led by postgraduate faculty in another student group.

Methods: One year after completing the MSUS course, medical students were tested on their retained ability to acquire and interpret MSUS images by repeating an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). During the course, the participants were randomly assigned to either teledidactic, peer-tutored training or a conventional on-campus course led by faculty. The follow-up assessment involved obtaining standard sections of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, finger, hip, knee, ankle, and toe joints, along with image optimization and evaluating basic pathologies such as joint effusions and hypervascularization. The OSCE scores of teledidactically trained students were then compared to those of students who had undergone faculty-led on-campus training.

Results: Out of the initial cohort of 30 medical students, 24 students participated in the follow-up OSCE one year later. Both groups showed a significant decline in practical MSUS skills. The average OSCE score immediately after the MSUS training was 57.3/63 (SD ± 4.25), but a year later, in the follow-up OSCE, the average score dropped to 52.56/63 (SD ± 6.67). Despite this decline, there was no significant difference (p > 0.001) between the two teaching cohorts in the follow-up OSCE.

Conclusion: Even after a year, medical students who received only teledidactic instruction by a peer teacher in MSUS achieved comparable results in a standardized follow-up OSCE to those who took an on-campus course and were instructed by postgraduate physicians. This indicates that teledidactic teaching formats even combined with peer-assisted learning can effectively maintain practical MSUS skills over the long term, making them a viable and sustainable approach in medical education. However, the observed decline in skills in both groups highlights the critical need for repetition in ultrasound training, ideally through a longitudinal curriculum.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/assessment-and-comparison-of-long-term-skill-retention-following-a-teledidactic-musculoskeletal-ultrasound-course-for-medical-students-the-telmus-follow-up-study/