The Impact of an Ultrasound Curriculum on the Accuracy of Resident Joint Line Palpation.

Abstract

Ultrasound education has been used as a tool to help improve physical examination skills. However, its utility in increasing accuracy of joint line palpation has yet to be investigated. To evaluate the accuracy of resident palpation and identification of the lateral knee joint line before and after introducing a musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) curriculum. Cohort study. A physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) residency program at an academic institution. Seventeen PM&R residents. Residents underwent a knee-focused MSUS workshop. Distance from needle placement to joint line confirmed with ultrasound. All residents demonstrated improved accuracy in lateral knee joint line palpation after completing a knee-focused MSUS workshop, with statistically significant (P < .05) improvement in postgraduate year (PGY) 2 (P = .02), PGY-3 (P = .04), and across all residents (P = .001). MSUS education significantly improved lateral knee joint line palpation accuracy in resident physicians.