Image interpretation performance: A longitudinal study from novice to professional

Abstract

Wordcount:2303 Highlights 1. Some novices appear to have inherent skills in fracture identification. 2. RadBench testing as part of the UCAS selection process provides a useful indication of future performance. 3. Increase in specificity is the primary gain of university education in increasing accuracy. 4. Radiography graduates may require further education in order to deliver reliable image interpretation decisions. Abstract 248Purpose Universities need to deliver educational programmes that create radiography graduates who are ready and able to participate in abnormality detection schemes, ultimately delivering safe and reliable performance because junior doctors are exposed to the risk of misdiagnosis if unsupported by other healthcare professionals. Radiographers are ideally suited to this role having the responsibility for conducting the actual X-ray examination. MethodThe image interpretation performance of one cohort of student radiographers was measured upon enrolment from UCAS in the first week of university education and then again prior to graduation using RadBench (n=23). ResultsThe results identified that novices have a range of natural image interpretation skills; accuracy 35-85%, sensitivity 45-100%, specificity 15-85%, mean ROC 0.691. Graduates presented a narrower range; accuracy 60-90%, sensitivity 40-100%, specificity 60-90%, mean ROC 0.841. The positive shift in graduate mean accuracy (+16%) was driven by increases in specificity (+27%) rather than sensitivity (+5%).No statistically significant differences (ANOVA) could be found between age group, gender and previous education however trends were identified. One graduate could meet a 90% benchmark accuracy standard and 52% of the population (n=12) an 80% standard. ConclusionImage interpretation testing at the point of UCAS entry is a useful indicator of future performance and is a recommended factor for consideration as part of the selection process. Whilst image interpretation now forms an integral part of undergraduate radiography programmes, new graduates may not necessary possess the reliability in decision making to justify participation in abnormality detection schemes, highlighting the need for continuous professional development.

Abdominal radiograph preliminary clinical evaluation image test bank project

“…A future study may benefit from a pre and post additional abdominal radiograph interpretation education arm to the study. Studies focussing on musculoskeletal PCE have demonstrated the value of the integration of education with image interpretation schemes (23)(24)(25)(26). Each study shared a common theme that education can positively influence the image interpretation skill of the participant.…”

Communicating traumatic pathology to ensure shared understanding: is there a recipe for the perfect preliminary image evaluation?

“…Incidences of missed and/or delayed radiological diagnoses, where in‐experienced emergency clinicians make treatment decisions based on unsupported image interpretation, potentially compromise patient safety . As such, there is an increasing weight of international evidence that advocates for radiographers to generate an opinion on pathology demonstrated on the radiographs they acquire and make that opinion available to the treating team …”

The Determination of Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors of Primary Health Care Assistants About The Evaluation of Chest X-ray: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…4 Fakat PAG değerlendirmesinde, özellikle birinci basamakta çalışan hekimlerde daha fazla bilgi ve özgüven yetersizliği söz konusudur. [5][6][7][8] PAG ve diğer grafileri değerlendirmede, radyologların diğer branş hekimlerine kıyasla anlamlı derecede daha başarılı oldukları bildirilmiştir. 9 Literatürde birinci basamak sağlık merkezlerinde çalışan hekimler ile radyologlar arası röntgen filmlerinin değerlendirilmesindeki yorum farkı %22,20 olarak belirtilmiştir.…”