Background
In multidisciplinary education, different perspectives from more than one discipline are used to illustrate a certain topic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an ...online, multidisciplinary radiology curriculum to teach radiology to medical students in Egypt. A multidisciplinary team of radiologists, surgeons, and internists taught a series of 5 case-based radiology sessions on a web conference platform. Topics included common clinical case scenarios for various body systems. Undergraduate medical students across Egypt were enrolled in the course. A pre-test–post-test design was used to evaluate the efficacy of each session. Upon course completion, students filled out a subjective survey to assess the radiology education series.
Results
On average, 1000 students attended each session. For each session, an average of 734 students completed both the pre-test and post-test. There was a statistically significant increase in post-test scores compared to pre-test scores across all 5 sessions (
p
< 0.001) with an overall average score improvement of 63%. A subjective survey at the end of the course was completed by 1027 students. Over 96% of students found the lecture series to be a worthwhile experience that increased their imaging knowledge and interest in radiology, and that the use of a multidisciplinary approach added educational value. About 66% of students also reported that the session topics were “excellent and clinically important.” There was a marked increase in reported confidence levels in radiology competencies before and after attendance of the sessions.
Conclusions
An online radiology curriculum with a multidisciplinary approach can be implemented successfully to reach a large group of medical students and meet their educational objectives.
Background
Radiology serves in the diagnosis and management of many diseases. Despite its rising importance and use, radiology is not a core component of a lot of medical school curricula. This ...survey aims to clarify current gaps in the radiological education in Egyptian medical schools. In February–May 2021, 5318 students enrolled in Egyptian medical schools were recruited and given a 20-multiple-choice-question survey assessing their radiology knowledge, radiograph interpretation, and encountered imaging experiences. We measured the objective parameters as a percentage. We conducted descriptive analysis and used Likert scales where values were represented as numerical values. Percentages were graphed afterwards.
Results
A total of 5318 medical students in Egypt answered our survey. Gender distribution was 45% males and 54% females. The results represented all 7 class years of medical school (six academic years and a final training year). In assessing students’ knowledge of radiology, most students (75%) reported that they received ‘too little’ education, while 20% stated the amount was ‘just right’ and only 4% reported it was ‘too much.’ Sixty-two percent of students stated they were taught radiology through medical imaging lectures. Participants’ future career plans were almost equally distributed. Near half of participants (43%) have not heard about the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria (ACR-AR), while 39% have heard about it but are not familiar with.
Conclusions
Radiology is a novel underestimated field. Therefore, medical students need more imaging exposure. To accomplish this, attention and efforts should be directed toward undergraduate radiology education to dissolve the gap between radiology and other specialties during clinical practice. A survey answered by medical students can bridge between presence of any current defect in undergraduate radiology teaching and future solutions for this topic.
This article explores the practice of immobilization during fluoroscopy procedures for infants, discussing its advantages and disadvantages. The authors examine contrasting policies and thoughts on ...immobilization across different medical institutions. While some advocate for its routine use to minimize patient motion, enhance imaging quality, and decrease radiation exposure, others question its necessity and raise concerns about patient consent and parental distress. Ethical dilemmas are also discussed regarding patient autonomy and psychological impact on families. The authors advocate for a balanced approach, recognizing the utility of immobilization in certain clinical scenarios while still emphasizing patient-centered care. Ultimately, the article underscores the importance of institutional policies that prioritize both patient safety and ethical principles in pediatric radiology practices.
•Immobilization devices aim to reduce radiation exposure and improve image quality by minimizing patient motion.•Some healthcare professionals consider immobilization unnecessary while others adhere firmly to it.•Institution specific policies heavily influence the use of immobilization.•This article suggests situtations in which either approach may be appropriate.
Objectives:
Radiology and medical imaging are important yet often an underrepresented facet of medical education. Notably, there is concern among radiologists that students do not receive enough ...radiology exposure and that they struggle to interpret image findings on entering residency. Therefore, this survey aims to identify how medical students perceive the radiology curriculum and to determine gaps in delivery.
Material and Methods:
Students were recruited from United States (US) medical schools and given a 21-question survey assessing their perception of the radiology curriculum as well as asking about their confidence levels regarding medical imaging. The inclusion criteria were age >18 and enrolled in US medical school. The surveys were completed in April–July 2020 by students across the US. Objective parameters were measured as percentage correct, while subjective parameters used a 4-point Likert scale.
Results:
A total of 472 medical students across 31 medical schools completed the surveys with a response rate of 69%. Responses represented all class years within medical schools and showed equal distribution among the future career plans. Students responded that didactic lectures were the most common teaching method and that radiologists were their primary teachers during preclinical education. Students were unfamiliar with the American College of Radiology appropriateness criteria with 65% responding they had never heard of it and 33% reporting that they have heard of it but never used it. In assessing students’ perceptions of radiology education, 72% of students responded that they received too little, and 28% of students responded, “Just right.” <1% of students responded that there was “Too much” radiology in their curriculum.
Conclusion:
Radiologists are increasing their educational representation in medical school curricula. Despite this, radiology continues to be under-represented with students desiring more exposure to medical imaging. Integrating the student’s perceptions with existing curricula suggests that efforts should focus on increasing awareness of which studies are appropriate and teaching students how to systematically interpret an image.
The United States Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF) recommends bone mineral density (BMD) screening for osteoporosis in women under the age of 65 by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) if ...their risk of a major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) is greater or equal to that of an average 65-year-old woman without risk factors for osteoporosis.(1) The absolute risk of a MOF is calculated using the FRAX ®, a tool that incorporates various risk factors to calculate risk with or without the addition of BMD of the femoral neck as a variable. Those, without the BMD variable, having a calculated 10-year risk of a MOF of 9.3% or greater are recommended for BMD testing. A retrospective chart review was completed for patients between 2012 to 2018. We identified 128 charts and analyzed the extracted data for 113 women < 65-years with osteoporosis confirmed by BMD or fractures. MOF fracture risk calculation without BMD by FRAX of 9.3% or greater were found in 51 (45.1%) patients. Osteoporosis by T-score <-2.5 at the spine, total hip, femoral neck or distal radius was evident in 102 (90%) patients. Previous osteoporotic fractures were noted in 29 (25.7%) patients. Demographics were stratified in terms of high-risk (FRAX >= 9.3%) and low-risk (FRAX< 9.3%). The average age of women in the high-risk group was 58 years and 55 years in the low-risk group. In the high-risk group, 88.2% were Caucasian, 11.8% Hispanic, 0% African American, 0% Asian. In the low risk group, 59.7% were Caucasian, 32.3% Hispanic, 3.2% African American, 4.8% Asian. Women with MOF >9.3% were older, had more years post menopause, and had more risk factors (average 2.18 factors vs 0.61) than women with MOF <9.3%. Total hip T-score was lower in the high-risk group. The sensitivity of FRAX for identifying women with a T-score < -2.5 was 40%. The sensitivity of FRAX for identifying women with a history of fracture was 32%. The sensitivity of FRAX for identifying women with a T-score < -2.5 or identifying women with a history of fracture was 32%. These results demonstrate that the FRAX tool alone, according to USPSTF recommendation, fails to identify many women under the age of 65 with osteoporosis in need of BMD testing. Over half of women would not have had a BMD performed based on guidelines for screening BMD in women < 65. Further study is needed to characterize women under the age of 65 with osteoporosis with FRAX MOF less than 9.3%.
Reference:
1. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2011). Screening for osteoporosis: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med 2011;154:356-64.
Research Support:
Grant to support statistical analysis from the University of Texas Health San Antonio School of Medicine Office of the Dean.
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