Keywords:
Lung, Conventional radiography, Education, Education and training
Authors:
C. FABRE1, M. PROISY2, C. Chapuis2, S. Jouneau2, P.-A. Lentz2, C. MEUNIER2, G. Mahe2, M. Lederlin2; 1Angers/FR, 2Rennes/FR
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2018/C-0669
Aims and objectives
Nowadays,
despite the outstanding performances of computed tomography (CT) in thoracic diseases,
CXR is still the most commonly used imaging modality worldwide [1].
Numerous studies have shown that CXR remained critical for decision-making and that a wrong interpretation could adversely modify patient management [2–4].
Paradoxically,
CXR reading is less and less taught today,
even though it is one of the more demanding in terms of cognitive load and experience.
Although the skill level of radiology residents has already been investigated through various methodologies,
those studies did not deal with the cognitive mechanisms specifically involved in CXR learning,
i.e.
linked to the projectional nature of CXR.
While cross-sectional imaging requires reading the images just as on anatomic slices,
projection radiography necessitates a more complex mental process,
which may be decomposed into two tasks: detection and interpretation [5–9].
Detection task is the ability to discover radiographic abnormalities and may typically correspond to the perception of a small pulmonary nodule in a smoker or the recognition of a subtle apical opacity in a screening for tuberculosis.
By contrast,
interpretation task requires recruiting cognitive resources to match CXR semiology and elaborate a diagnosis.
In atelectasis for instance,
the main task consists in mentally comparing radiographic findings – often obvious – with previously learned models.
The objective of our study was thus triple: (i) to evaluate the current mean skill level of a significant sample of radiology residents in CXR reading,
(ii) to probe these skills with regard to the cognitive mechanisms involved in CXR learning,
and (iii) to investigate for potential factors influencing residents’ skills.