Interventional Radiology and Spanish Medical Students: A Survey of Knowledge and Interests in Preclinical and Clinical Courses

Assessing interventional radiology specialty knowledge and perception amongst Tanzanian medical students before and after exposure to an immersive curriculum

AIMS

This study aims to assess the impact that delivering an introductory interventional radiology (IR) lecture series has on the knowledge and perception of the specialty among medical students in a resource-limited setting with, until recently, no IR presence.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An introductory four-hour lecture series in IR was delivered to third-year medical students in Tanzania. Prior to and following the lecture series, participants completed a 27-item paper-based survey assessing their knowledge and perception of the specialty.

RESULTS

Out of a class of 213, the pre- and post-lecture survey was returned by 148 (69.5%) and 151 (70.9%) respondents, respectively. 94.5% of respondents indicated that they were aware of IR as a specialty. Among respondents, 97.3% expressed interest in having IR lectures integrated into their curriculum, compared to 29.0% that reported having any prior IR training. 27.3% believed their knowledge in IR compared to other specialties was either "good" or "excellent", which improved to 43.3% (p<0.001). Identification that IR physicians consult patients directly, have outpatient clinics, have inpatient beds, and do rounds improved from 55.4% to 81.1% (p<0.001), 49.7% to 60.3% (p=0.066), 48.3% to 66.7% (p=0.001), and 52.0% to 66.2% (p=0.013), respectively.

CONCLUSION

By introducing short lectures on IR-relevant topics, knowledge and perception of IR improved among Tanzanian medical students. Early education and exposure to IR should be prioritized to promote the continued growth of the specialty in this setting.

Longitudinal investigation of undergraduates' radiation anxiety, interest, and career intention in interventional radiology

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effect of the school curriculum and on-site observation of interventional radiology (IR) operations in clinics on undergraduates' radiation anxiety, interest, and career intention.

METHODS

Between the academic years 2021 and 2023, all of the fourth-year undergraduates were surveyed by questionnaires, which covered their pre-curriculum, post-curriculum in-school, and post-on-site view of IR surgeries in clinic. The survey included categories of gender, fear of X-ray and IR operation, interest in IR surgery, and career-pursuing intention.

RESULTS

A total of 333 (91.0%) respondents (111 students for three times) were included in analyses. The fear of X-ray and radiation exposure during IR procedures was reduced after taking school courses (p < 0.001), and it was further decreased after on-site viewing (p < 0.001). The association values among the three groups were 33.8% and 41.9%, respectively. The interest in IR was improved both after applying for the curriculum and after clinical exposure to IR surgery (p < 0.001). In addition, 4 (3.6%) and 12 (10.8%) students showed a sense of achievement after taking courses and on-site viewing, respectively. The association value was 49.4%. Regarding career intention, it was both significantly increased after taking courses and on-site observation (p < 0.001). Besides, 8 (7.2%), 17 (15.3%), and 36 (32.4%) students in the three groups considered IR as the preferred career choice, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Applying for IR curriculum could reduce undergraduates' radiation anxiety, and activate their professional interest and career pursuing intention. Clinical exposure to IR surgeries further boosted this effect.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

Educational interventions of curriculum and on-site view of IR surgery improve the undergraduates' interest in IR and stimulate their career intention, which is crucial for the advancement of IR.

KEY POINTS

Increasing interest in interventional radiology (IR) as a career is urgent, given rising demand of services. Education and on-site viewing of IR surgery reduced radiation anxiety and increased interest in IR. Early exposure to IR is effective at encouraging undergraduates to consider IR as their career.

Worldwide Knowledge About Interventional Radiology Among Medical Students: Findings of a Comprehensive Review

PURPOSE

The objective of this comprehensive review is to investigate the studies assessing the interventional radiology knowledge among medical students worldwide and inspect the feasible solutions for improving their perspective on this specialty.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was accomplished on PubMed, Scopus, Web of science, and Embase databases. The quality of eligible articles was assessed with the QATSDD assessment tool.

RESULTS

After screening of articles, 29 studies were included. All the included articles were published between 2009 and 2021, with 20 studies performed in 2017 and thereafter. Interventional radiologists' duties, procedures, and training pathways were the main subjects investigated in surveys. The interest and exposure to interventional radiology were also assessed. All the studies indicated that the knowledge about interventional radiology compared with other specialties is weak. In 14 studies, over 50% of participants reported their interventional radiology knowledge as either poor or none. The most reason for not considering interventional radiology residency was lack of awareness during medical schools. Studies which held a tutorial course reported the students' awareness and interest improved significantly after the course.

CONCLUSION

The present evidence indicates that although the current awareness of interventional radiology is low, timely didactic courses in medical schools can improve this condition significantly, lead to graduation of more oriented referring physicians, and also attract more fit applicants to interventional radiology residency programs.

Perception of Interventional Radiology among Jazan Medical Students: Assessment of Knowledge and Career Intentions

Context Lack of awareness among the students in the medical field is the greatest challenge to overcome in the emergence of contemporary interventional radiology (IR).

Objectives We aimed to conduct a survey among medical students of Jazan University to explore their knowledge about IR, interest in IR as a future career, and preferred methods of training in IR.

Materials and Methods This was a cross-sectional, self-directed questionnaire study. The target population was all medical students at Jazan University. Surveys were sent to 600 students. The questionnaire consisted of 11 closed and open-ended questions.

Statistical Analysis We calculated the size of the sample using the Raosoft Sample Size Calculator Web site. Data analysis was performed using SPSS statistics.

Results A total of 270 students responded (45%); more than half of the respondents (58.5%) were in the preclinical stage, while the rest were in the clinical stage. About 62.5% of clinical students and 66.4% preclinical students reported that their perception regarding the terminology of IR was good or excellent. Regarding the identification of interventional radiologists, 50.9% from the clinical students thought them to be radiologists and 50% from preclinical students also identified them as such.

About 29.5% from the clinical students and 27.8% from the preclinical students thought them special surgeons, and 31.3% clinical students compared with 30.4% preclinical students believed they are vascular surgeons working with X-rays. About 19.6% clinical students compared with 17.7% preclinical students said they are general surgeons working with X-rays, and 48.2% clinical students compared with 45.6% preclinical students said they are special radiologists who work with percutaneous techniques. There was a significant difference (p = 0.041) in the responses between preclinical and clinical students regarding knowledge about what this medical specialty does. About 60.8% of clinical students reported that their knowledge and information regarding IR are efficient in comparison to 39.2% of preclinical students.

Conclusion This study demonstrated that the basic knowledge among Jazan medical students is poor. About half of the respondents were clinical students who understood the radiology specialty, compared with one-third of preclinical students. This could impact the student’s decision toward IR as a future career.

Interventional radiology and artificial intelligence in radiology: Is it time to enhance the vision of our medical students?

OBJECTIVES

To assess awareness and knowledge of Interventional Radiology (IR) in a large population of medical students in 2019.

METHODS

An anonymous survey was distributed electronically to 9546 medical students from first to sixth year at three European medical schools. The survey contained 14 questions, including two general questions on diagnostic radiology (DR) and artificial intelligence (AI), and 11 on IR. Responses were analyzed for all students and compared between preclinical (PCs) (first to third year) and clinical phase (Cs) (fourth to sixth year) of medical school. Of 9546 students, 1459 students (15.3%) answered the survey.

RESULTS

On DR questions, 34.8% answered that AI is a threat for radiologists (PCs: 246/725 (33.9%); Cs: 248/734 (36%)) and 91.1% thought that radiology has a future (PCs: 668/725 (92.1%); Cs: 657/734 (89.5%)). On IR questions, 80.8% (1179/1459) students had already heard of IR; 75.7% (1104/1459) stated that their knowledge of IR wasn't as good as the other specialties and 80% would like more lectures on IR. Finally, 24.2% (353/1459) indicated an interest in a career in IR with a majority of women in preclinical phase, but this trend reverses in clinical phase.

CONCLUSIONS

Development of new technology supporting advances in artificial intelligence will likely continue to change the landscape of radiology; however, medical students remain confident in the need for specialty-trained human physicians in the future of radiology as a clinical practice. A large majority of medical students would like more information about IR in their medical curriculum; almost a quarter of students would be interested in a career in IR.

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

Background

The interventional radiology (IR) trainee recruitment in the UK is lagging behind the pace of service expansion and is potentially hindered by underrepresented undergraduate curricula. Understanding the contributing factors that encourage junior doctors and medical students to consider an IR career will help the IR community to better focus the efforts on recruiting and nurturing the next generation.

Methods

Anonymised questionnaires on undergraduate and postgraduate IR exposure were distributed to attendees of five UK IR symposia between 2019 and 2020.

Results

220 responses were received from 103 (47%) junior doctors and 117 (53%) medical students. Prior IR exposure strongly correlates with individuals’ positive views towards an IR career (Pearson’s R = 0.40, p < 0.001), with involvement in clinical activities as the most important independent contributor (OR 3.6, 95%CI 1.21–10.50, p = 0.021). Longer time spent in IR (especially as elective modules) and IR-related portfolio-building experiences (such as participating in research, attending conferences and obtaining career guidance) demonstrate strong association with willingness to pursue an IR career for the more motivated (p values < 0.05). The symposia had overall positive effects on subjective likelihood to pursue an IR career, particularly among junior doctors who face near-term career choices (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Our study, focusing on a self-selected cohort, identified contributing factors to individuals’ willingness to pursue an IR career. Symposia have additional recruitment effects in extra-curricular settings. Active engagement with junior doctors and medical students through clinical activities and non-clinical portfolio-related experiences are key to generate informed and motivated candidates for the future of IR.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s00270-020-02655-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorised users.

Endovascular simulation training: a tool to increase enthusiasm for interventional radiology among medical students

OBJECTIVES

Interventional radiology (IR) is a growing field but is underrepresented in most medical school curricula. We tested whether endovascular simulator training improves medical students' attitudes towards IR.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted this prospective study at two university medical centers; overall, 305 fourth-year medical students completed a 90-min IR course. The class consisted of theoretical and practical parts involving endovascular simulators. Students completed questionnaires before the course, after the theoretical and after the practical part. On a 7-point Likert scale, they rated their interest in IR, knowledge of IR, attractiveness of IR, and the likelihood to choose IR as subspecialty. We used a crossover design to prevent position-effect bias.

RESULTS

The seminar/simulator parts led to the improvement for all items compared with baseline: interest in IR (pre-course 5.2 vs. post-seminar/post-simulator 5.5/5.7), knowledge of IR (pre-course 2.7 vs. post-seminar/post-simulator 5.1/5.4), attractiveness of IR (pre-course 4.6 vs. post-seminar/post-simulator 4.8/5.0), and the likelihood of choosing IR as a subspecialty (pre-course 3.3 vs. post-seminar/post-simulator 3.8/4.1). Effect was significantly stronger for simulator training compared with that for seminar for all items (p < 0.05). For simulator training, subgroup analysis of students with pre-existing positive attitude showed considerable improvement regarding "interest in IR" (× 1.4), "knowledge of IR" (× 23), "attractiveness of IR" (× 2), and "likelihood to choose IR" (× 3.2) compared with pretest.

CONCLUSION

Endovascular simulator training significantly improves students' attitude towards IR regarding all items. Implementing such courses at a very early stage in the curriculum should be the first step to expose medical students to IR and push for IR.

KEY POINTS

• Dedicated IR-courses have a significant positive effect on students' attitudes towards IR. • Simulator training is superior to a theoretical seminar in positively influencing students' attitudes towards IR. • Implementing dedicated IR courses in medical school might ease recruitment problems in the field.

Awareness and knowledge of interventional radiology among medical students at an Indian institution

Purpose

Interventional radiology (IR) is a novel and evolving sub-specialty that encompasses image guided diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. With the advent of new imaging techniques and an increasing demand of minimally invasive procedures, IR continues to grow as a core component in medical and surgical therapeutics. Radiology teaching is a part of medical undergraduate curriculum; however, the medical undergraduate cohort lacks exposure to IR principles, methods and techniques. The purpose of this study is to determine the knowledge and awareness of IR among medical students in a single university in India.

Materials and methods

Electronic anonymous surveys were sent to 350 medical students of Pt. JNM Medical College, Raipur, India. Each survey comprised of questions assessing knowledge and exposure to IR. A total of 70 students (20%) responded.

Results

85.7% of respondents positively reported that radiologists have a role in diagnostic as well as therapeutic interventions, however, 60% of students cited a very poor/poor knowledge of IR. A larger part, 91.5%, stated that they would be interested in IR based teaching delivered as a part of their undergraduate teaching program. Those who knew at least one interventional radiology technique were 1.51 (95% CI: 1.02–2.22; p < 0.05) times more likely to be considering it as a career.

Conclusion

Medical Students demonstrate a poor knowledge of IR. This corresponds to a limited and inconsistent exposure to IR in medical schools. The study suggests that there is a need to deliver an IR based curriculum in medical undergraduate teaching in India. Our proposition includes introducing a regulated IR teaching in undergraduate medical education using new module designs and presenting medical students an opportunity to attend IR education days, symposiums and conferences to incite early participation.

Awareness of interventional radiology before professional training and outcome measurement of an interventional radiology curriculum: a survey of third-year undergraduates in a Chinese medical college

PURPOSE

We aimed to assess the awareness of interventional radiology (IR) among medical students, and to evaluate an IR curriculum in China.

METHODS

Between the academic years of 2008 and 2016, 517 third-year medical undergraduates, who successfully applied for an IR curriculum, received a survey related to IR before taking the course. Final exams were conducted after the IR course.

RESULTS

A total of 355 of the 517 medical students (68.67%) answered the survey; 81.97% of the respondents had heard of IR, 40.28% believed they understood what IR is, but no one was familiar with IR. The four most common pathways for medical students to acquire IR knowledge were via new media (e.g., internet, apps) (42.82%), a teacher/textbook (36.90%), a friend (32.68%), and traditional media (26.48%). The most familiar interventional procedures to respondents were percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA, 78.59%) and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE, 44.51%). The results of the survey also indicated that 68.45% of the respondents wanted to learn about IR, but that only 47 male students (13.24%) considered a career in IR. The pass rate of the IR course final exam was 87.04%, i.e., 87.04% of the students successfully completed the course and final exam.

CONCLUSION

The IR knowledge of medical students in China is worse than that of European medical students. We suggest that providing medical students with general information about IR in the media, as well as via teaching and textbooks in medical school, requires prompt and significant attention. An IR curriculum is beneficial for increasing the IR knowledge of undergraduates.

Understanding the Awareness, Knowledge and Perceptions of Interventional Radiology Amongst Undergraduates in the UK

INTRODUCTION

The role of interventional radiology (IR) in health care is rapidly expanding in the United Kingdom (UK). However, the presence of IR in the current undergraduate curriculum is lacking.

PURPOSE

This study investigates the awareness, knowledge and perceptions of IR in undergraduates through the clinical years of medical school to suggest future interventions.

METHODS

A total of 360 questionnaires, designed to test undergraduates' knowledge of, and exposure to, IR were distributed over a 14-day period in a UK medical institution.

RESULTS

Of the 312 respondents (86.7%), the majority had never formally shadowed a radiologist (65.4%) or encountered teaching from an interventional radiologist (54.5%). Most students (88.5%) felt their knowledge of IR was lower than other specialties. Students' knowledge of IR procedures did not statistically increase through the clinical years. Students were most cognisant of vascular procedures and least aware of IR's role in oncology. Only 10.9% would consider a career in IR, with 39.7% citing the lack of knowledge and 18.6% citing patient contact as the top reasons for this.

CONCLUSION

Current students have poor exposure to IR through the undergraduate curriculum. Consequently, there is no increase in knowledge of IR clinical practice through the clinical years. Multi-level interventions, incorporating universities and radiological societies are required to increase undergraduate awareness and promote IR as a career.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 3, Local non-random sample.

Are interventional radiology and allied specialities neglected in undergraduate medical education? A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

Minimally invasive interventional approaches are gaining wider acceptance with several specialities incorporating such principles. Awareness and understanding of interventional principles require efficacious education and training methodologies. We performed a systematic review to identify all available interventional speciality learning modules or training opportunities available for undergraduate medical students. We also propose a standardised framework for relevant modules.

METHODS

We searched PubMed and all Ovid databases with no language restriction for studies that report and evaluate interventional speciality educational modules or similar training initiatives. We followed a prospective protocol (PROSPERO registration: CRD42018110006). Internal and external validity of the included studies was assessed. Qualitative synthesis of data was performed to define performance improvement and/or motivation towards a career in an interventional speciality.

RESULTS

Out of 6081 records, 17 studies met the inclusion criteria, 15 of which were focused on interventional radiology. More than half of studies (9/17) were surveys where student knowledge and interest were reported as poor. 5 out of 6 studies which assessed the effect of educational interventions concluded to improved knowledge or performance. Most surveys concluded that early exposure can increase interest towards such specialities, improve knowledge and relevant motivation.

CONCLUSIONS

Few studies report teaching initiatives in interventional radiology and other interventional specialities, reflecting the poor relevant motivation and knowledge amongst medical students. Simple interventions e.g. introductory lectures and simulation sessions spark interest in students and also improve knowledge as proven in the case of interventional radiology. Standardisation of such efforts via a suggested framework, Strategy Development Framework for Interventional Radiology, can further optimise such outcomes.

Establishing a Platform for Interest and Education in Interventional Radiology Amongst Radiology Trainees

PURPOSE

Over recent times, procedural Radiologists have begun to establish themselves as the distinct subspecialty of Interventional Radiology (IR). The Interventional Radiology Society of Australasia (IRSA) was established in 1982 to share collaborative ideas, encourage research, and promote education. IRSA developed a weekend registrar workshop attended by Radiology Registrars from Australia and New Zealand. In the 2018 event, we surveyed the Registrars to identify their interest in IR training before and after the workshop.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The event was held over a weekend and consisted of both lectures and hands-on workshops. A survey was handed to all 67 registrants of the workshop and there was a 55% response rate including 78% of females in attendance.

RESULTS

Before the workshop, trainees rated their interest in IR training at a mean of 3.7 out of 5. After the workshop, trainees rated their interest in IR training as an average of 4.4 out of 5 (p < 0.001). The difference in interest between males and females before the workshop (4.0 vs. 3.1) was significant (p = 0.003), however after the workshop (4.5 vs. 4.1) was not significant (p = 0.07). The change in interest from attending the workshop was significant between genders, p = 0.03 (male interest increased mean 0.5, female increased mean 1.0).

CONCLUSION

We show that a program of lectures and workshops designed to generate interest in IR leads to a significant increase in training interest, particularly amongst females. Other subspecialty groups should consider this type of intervention and promote ongoing education and inspiration.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Cross-sectional study, Level IV.