A prospective study integrating a curriculum of interventional radiology in undergraduate education: a tetra-core simulation model

Abstract

Background: Interventional radiology (IR) is underrepresented in undergraduate medical curricula across Europe. By continuing to challenge the boundaries of IR, a rise in the demand for radiologists has been inevitablea trend not met by a corresponding rise in the supply of radiologists. On tracing the roots of this shortage, lack of awareness of the specialty within medical trainees coupled with a global lack of IR teaching in undergraduate education seem to constitute major exacerbating factors. The purpose of this study was to identify gaps in the field of IR education and address these by implementing an international IR simulation-based course for undergraduates. Results: Implementation of a multi-modality simulation-based course consisted of seven modules incorporating technical and non-technical skills, basic science and applied clinical science modules. Of all participants, 90.7% (N = 68) never had previous IR teaching experience and only 28% (N = 21) had a previous placement in an IR department. Following the course, confidence improvement was statistically significant both in IR skills (1/5, p < 0.01) and knowledge (1/5, p < 0.01)]. The majority (90.7%) said they would benefit with more exposure to IR. In terms of the students' motivation for a career in IR, 32% (N = 24) reported that they would more likely consider a career in IR after completing the course. Conclusion: Delivery of a tetra-core simulation course with the aim to address the gaps in undergraduate IR education has had a positive impact on students' skills, confidence levels as well as motivation. We propose reviewing the curricula across medical schools in Europe to identify gaps and address any inadequacies; for this, we consider our simulation course an excellent starting point.

Future Interventional Radiologists and Where to Find Them–Insights from Five UK Interventional Radiology Symposia for Junior Doctors and Medical Students

“…We have selected a more exposed cohort, compared to the general population of junior doctors and medical students, and yet there are marked differences among individuals in the content, duration and intensity of IR undergraduate education. IR teaching models from modular to integrated designs have been proposed to locally adapt the published undergraduate curricula [3,6,14,15] but more consistent implementation at the national level is still required. Inadequate undergraduate curricula and heterogeneous individual experience are likely contributors to the small proportion who therefore only come across IR during their postgraduate training.…”

In vivo Simulation-Based Learning for Undergraduate Medical Students: Teaching and Assessment

“…15 This primarily involves a multi-modality evidence synthesis which includes a series of narrative 16 and systematic reviews 17 focused on SBL for undergraduates (eviCORE [18][19][20][21], with focused original studies on in vivo SBL for undergraduates. [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] This work has been part of a dedicated research network. 29 -Regarding assessment methods, we performed a subgroup adaptation and appraisal of a systematic review published on postgraduates' assessment tools, which summarises the current published evidence on assessment approaches.…”

Audit of electronic operative documentation in interventional radiology: the value of standardised proformas

“…Resultantly, this has led to a gradual shift in responsibility from service provision for other clinical specialities to IR taking ownership of the peri and post-operative care for patients treated. This paradigm shift is reinforced by the British Society of Interventional Radiology’s (BSIR) recent vote for IR to be granted its own specialty status in the United Kingdom – even after only recently having been granted subspecialty status (Theodoulou et al 2020 ). Coupled with the rapidly increasing number of image-guided interventions available, it follows that appropriate documentation of periprocedural care is fundamental both for successful patient-centred care and support for the autonomy of IR as a specialty (Kohi et al 2015 ).…”