Peyton's Four-Step Teaching Method for Intestinal Ultrasound Training: Efficacy and Practical Implications

To evaluate the application value of the Peyton four-step teaching method in the standardized training of intestinal ultrasound and compare it with traditional teaching methods, so as to provide an optimized approach for clinical ultrasound training.

Participants from the Department of Ultrasound at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between September 2024 and March 2025 were randomly assigned to either the traditional group or Peyton group. The traditional group followed the conventional "lecture- demonstration-practice" model, while the Peyton group implemented the standardized "demonstration-deconstruction-comprehension-execution" four-step approach. All training focused on standard intestinal ultrasound scanning techniques. After the training, the operational skills were independently evaluated by the instructors. To verify the reproducibility of the teaching method, the participants in traditional teaching group received additional Peyton method training after the initial assessment and underwent a second evaluation.

A total of 18 participants were included in this study, with 9 in the traditional teaching group and 9 in the Peyton teaching group. Participants in the Peyton group demonstrated significantly higher scores than those in the traditional group at every anatomical site assessed (all P < 0.05), including the terminal ileum[7.3(6.5, 8) vs. (3.1± 1.4)], ileocecal region[7(6, 8) vs. (3.7±1.3)], appendix[8(7, 8.3) vs. (5.3±0.8)], colon[7(6.5, 7.7)vs. 5.3(2.8, 5.3)] and small intestine[(7.3±0.5) vs. (3.7±1.2)]. The overall score was also significantly higher in the Peyton group [(7.2±0.9) vs.(3.7±1.0), P < 0.001]. After receiving supplemental Peyton method training, the traditional group showed significant improvement in all anatomical site scores, with the overall score increasing to[(7.5±0.4), P=0.008].

The Peyton four-step method is significantly more effective than traditional teaching in improving residents' intestinal ultrasound skills, demonstrating its suitability as the preferred approach for standardized training programs.