Near-peer compared to faculty teaching of abdominal ultrasound for medical students - A randomized-controlled trial

Purpose Medical schools increasingly rely on near-peer tutors for ultrasound teaching. We set out to compare the efficacy of a blended near-peer ultrasound teaching program to that of a faculty course in a randomized controlled trial. Methods 152 medical students received 21 hours of ultrasound teaching either by near-peer teachers or medical doctors. The near-peer course consisted of blended learning that included spaced repetition. The faculty-led course was the European common course for abdominal sonography. The primary outcome measurement was the students’ ultrasound knowledge at month 6, assessed by structured examination (score 0 to 50). Secondary outcomes included scores at month 0 and changes in scores after the course. Results Students in the near-peer group scored 37 points, and students in the faculty group scored 31 points six months after course completion. The difference of 5.99 points (95 % CI 4.48;7.49) in favor of the near-peer group was significant (p < 0.001). Scores immediately after the course were 3.8 points higher in the near-peer group (2.35; 5.25, p < 0.001). Ultrasound skills decreased significantly in the six months after course completion in the faculty group (–2.41 points, [–3.39; –1.42], p < 0.001]) but barely decreased in the near-peer group (–0.22 points, [–1.19; 0.75, p = 0.66]). Conclusion The near-peer course that combined blended learning and spaced repetition outperformed standard faculty teaching in basic ultrasound education. This study encourages medical schools to use peer teaching combined with e-learning and spaced repetition as an effective means to meet the increasing demand for ultrasound training.