Advancing Medical Education

with Point-of-Care Ultrasound

Devices: Medical Student
Perceptions
Kenneth Leung, M.S.
Medical Student (MS2)
khleung2@Illinois.edu

Olivia Coiado, Ph.D.

Teaching Assistant Professor and Medical Education Facilitator
coiado@Illinois.edu
 Background

SonoSite Edge II is a portable ultrasound imaging device utilizing

traditional piezoelectric crystals. Price: ~$20k-$30k.

Butterfly iQ probe is a point-of-care ultrasound probe that connects

to an iPad or iPhone, utilizing CMUT (capacitive micromachined
ultrasonic transducer) technology. Price: ~$2000.

Both devices are used for clinical diagnosis and in ultrasound https://www.sonosite.com/products/sonosite-edge-ii

education.

Aim:
• to assess students’ perception of the 2 devices
• to identify how students’ learning experiences in
ultrasound and medicine can be enhanced

https://www.butterflynetwork.com
Method

32 first-year medical students

utilized both SonoSite Edge II and Butterfly iQ (connected to an iPad Mini)

to complete their first hands-on training session.

Pre- and post-session surveys were administered.

Results To what extent do you agree with this statement…

Ultrasound can enhance teaching effectiveness in a clinical setting

Pre-session Post-session
20
20 20
17
15
15 15

# of Students
# of Students

10
7
→ 10

5
5 5

0 0 0 0 0
0 0
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
Disagree 2 3 4 Agree Disagree 2 3 4 Agree
1 5 1 5

Pre-session Likert scale average: 3.9 Post-session Likert scale average: 4.5
Results (Pre-session) How many hours of experience do you have scanning with…

SonoSite Edge II Butterfly iQ

32
30 30
26
25 25

# of Students
# of Students

20 20

15 15

10 10

5 5
2 2 1 1
0 0
0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4

Hours Hours

Students overall had little to no experience with either ultrasound imaging devices, so a fair comparison can be
made.
Results (Post-session) How would you rate your comfort operating …

SonoSite Edge II Butterfly iQ

15
15 14 15 14 14

10 10
# of Students

# of Students
5 5 4

2
1
0 0 0
0 0
Very Poor Poor Neutral Good Very Good Very Poor Poor Neutral Good Very Good
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Likert scale average: 3.6 Average: 3.7

Results (Post-session) How do you rate the overall design and user experience of …

SonoSite Edge II Butterfly iQ

20 19 20

16
15 15
# of Students

# of Students
10 10 9

6 6 6
5 5

1 1
0 0
0 0
Very Poor Poor Neutral Good Very Good Very Poor Poor Neutral Good Very Good
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Likert scale average: 3.9 Average: 3.8

Results (Post-session) How do you rate the image quality of …

SonoSite Edge II Butterfly iQ

20
20 20

16
15 15

11
# of Students

# of Students
10 10
8

5 5 4
3
1 1
0 0
0 0
Very Poor Poor Neutral Good Very Good Very Poor Poor Neutral Good Very Good
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Likert scale average: 4.1 Average: 3.4

Results (Post-session) Which device was easier to use (operation & interpretation)? Why?

15
15

13
SonoSite Edge II:
• Clearer images and better signal-to-noise
• Doppler mode worked better
10
• Buttons were easier to switch between modes
# of Students

Butterfly iQ:
5
4 • More intuitive, user-friendly UI
• Touch screen
• Easier to adjust settings
0
SonoSite Edge II Butterfly iQ Both are similar
 Conclusions

• Students preferred SonoSite Edge II’s image quality over Butterfly iQ’s, but
comfort of operation and overall design and user experience between the 2
ultrasound imaging devices were similar (rated between good and neutral).

• 100% of first year medical students agree or strongly agree that ultrasound can
enhance teaching effectiveness in a clinical setting.

Next Steps:
• Goal to implement point-of-care ultrasound utilization and education at the Carle
Illinois Clinic – a family medicine outpatient clinic where second-year medical
students are the patients’ primary caregivers.

@kennyhleung 949-439-3588 khleung2@Illinois.edu