ArticleBMC medical education2026
Structured phantom-assisted simulation for early abdominal ultrasound skill training in ultrasound medicine residents: a quasi-experimental study.
Article in BMC medical education, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundAbdominal ultrasound is a core component of residency training in ultrasound medicine, yet opportunities for repetitive and standardized bedside practice are often limited in routine clinical settings. Although simulation-based teaching may help address this gap, evidence remains limited regarding the role of abdominal ultrasound phantom training in standardized residency curricula. This study evaluated whether integrating structured phantom-assisted simulation into routine residency teaching was associated with improved early abdominal ultrasound skill acquisition and clinically oriented performance among novice residents.
methodsWe conducted a quasi-experimental study with a historical comparison cohort at a tertiary teaching hospital. Consecutive postgraduate year 2 residents in ultrasound medicine were included. The intervention cohort (2023-2025) received the routine curriculum supplemented with a 4-week structured phantom-assisted training module, whereas the historical comparison cohort (2020-2022) underwent the conventional bedside apprenticeship-based curriculum alone. The primary outcome was total score on a standardized patient-based abdominal ultrasound objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). The secondary outcome was learner-reported self-assessment measured using a 6-item questionnaire. Standard-view acquisition and embedded-lesion recognition were assessed as intervention-process measures within the intervention cohort.
resultsA total of 58 residents were included (intervention, n = 32; historical comparison, n = 26). Baseline characteristics were comparable between cohorts. The intervention cohort achieved significantly higher OSCE scores than the historical comparison cohort (87.16 ± 3.81 vs. 84.04 ± 4.00), with a mean difference of 3.12 points (95% CI 1.06-5.18; P = 0.004; Cohen's d = 0.80). Inter-rater reliability for OSCE scores was good (ICC[2,1] = 0.746). Among residents in the intervention cohort, 71.9% completed all required standard views, and lesion-recognition task performance ranged from 78.6% to 86.5% across assessed domains. Compared with the historical comparison cohort, the intervention cohort also reported higher learner-reported scores in understanding of ultrasound anatomy, perceived skill mastery, and clinical readiness (all P < 0.05).
conclusionsIntegration of a structured phantom-assisted simulation module into residency teaching was associated with improved abdominal ultrasound OSCE performance and better learner-reported outcomes in selected domains. Structured phantom-assisted training may serve as a useful supplementary approach for early abdominal ultrasound skill development, although its long-term transfer value requires further study.
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