Radiographic research in Sweden – A review of dissertations

Perspective of radiography science - a document analysis of dissertations

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to clarify the perspective of radiography science as an academic discipline. A discipline can be studied by discovering the collective use of concepts, especially core concepts. We have previously identified the core concepts as clinical practices in radiography, radiographers' profession, safe and high-quality radiation use, and technology in radiography. The relationships between these concepts have not been studied previously. In order to clarify the perspective of radiography science we have investigated further the core concepts, their interrelationships and interdependencies.

METHODS

Altogether, 53 dissertations meeting the inclusion criteria were selected for a qualitative document analysis. The data were first analysed deductively using an extraction matrix comprising four core concepts developed from previous studies, then relational statements were synthesised, and the statements were analysed semantically.

RESULTS

Analysis revealed the bilateral interrelationships between the concepts and their dependencies. All the concepts were used within healthcare. The rationale for radiography science research was the clinical practice of radiography and the improvement of services in a complex environment as a part of patients' pathways. Safe and high-quality radiation use was investigated as a means to deliver optimal services. Technology was studied as being functional or a means to deliver services. The perspective of the discipline was seen as the combination of humanistic interaction with advanced technology, where safety and quality were a necessity.

CONCLUSIONS

Defining core concepts and their interrelations clarifies the perspective of the discipline and gives radiography researchers a way to argue their viewpoint.

Parent's perceptions of paediatric care in two radiology departments within Johannesburg, South Africa

BACKGROUND

A referral to the Radiology department may be a very frightening, and at times a stressful experience for a child and their parents. The radiographer plays an important role as a healthcare professional to simultaneously produce high-quality diagnostic X-ray images and facilitate a high standard of care in a limited timeframe.

METHODS

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was thus to explore and describe parents' perceptions of paediatric care in two Radiology departments within Gauteng. A total of 12 semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with parents, until data saturation was achieved.

RESULTS

Braun and Clarke's six-step thematic analysis was used which unveiled three themes: 1) Recognition of overall positive, high standard of care received by paediatrics who underwent an X-ray examination 2) Limitations prohibiting a caring environment 3) The need for parent-centered paediatric care through the implementation of Family Centered Care (FCC).

CONCLUSION

Overall, there was positive feedback from the parents' perspectives and general satisfaction with the quality of care received by the child whilst in the Radiology department. Although there were some negative categories particularly referring to an unknown environment, parents overall appreciated the qualities of caring and effective communication that the radiographers displayed during their visit.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The lack of literature regarding parents' perceptions of paediatric care within the context of radiography led to the current study. Recommendations for future best practice would be incorporating the concept of FCC within the curriculum of the radiography degree to improve overall patient and parent satisfaction.

Radiography-An etymological and semantic concept analysis from the perspective of radiographic science

INTRODUCTION

Concepts are cornerstones in science, and their determination is a prerequisite for understanding their substance and meaning. Radiography as a concept is not straightforward nor simple to understand, and there are different interpretations depending on the scientific perspective. To develop truthful knowledge of radiography from the perspective of the discipline, a determination of the subject and substance of radiography is required and thereby is a precursor for theory development. The aim of this study was to investigate the etymological and semantic meaning of radiography from the radiography science perspective.

METHODS

An etymological and semantic analysis has been applied according to Koort and Eriksson's theoretical model. Dictionaries published between 2004 and 2021 were used.

RESULTS

The findings show that etymologically, radiography is formed by compounding the words 'radio' and 'graphy', originating historically from Latin and Greek. The semantic analysis revealed that the substance of radiography consisted of four characteristics that are the basic substance of radiography. The characteristics were X-ray and radiation, human beings-opaque objects, process including an act and art and images.

CONCLUSION

This study clarifies the substance and meaning of radiography as a subject from the perspective of radiography science. The subject and substance consisted of the four basic characteristics that all are vital and required to understand the concept of radiography. The characteristics revealed that radiography science is based on scientific knowledge and carrier of properties of meaning that provide a fundamental understanding of radiography science.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Investigating the subject, substance and meaning of radiography as a concept can become the base for further theoretical, contextual and practical understanding and support in the development of theory in radiography science.

The barriers, motives, perceptions, and attitudes toward research among radiology practitioners and interns in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Background

Research and the use of evidence-based practices are imperative to the advancement of diagnostic imaging modalities. The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions and attitudes of radiology practitioners (i.e., Technicians, Technologists or Specialists, and Senior Specialists) and interns in King Abdulaziz Medical Cities (KAMCs), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, toward research, and to explore the various barriers and obstacles that hinder their research efforts.

Methods

A cross-sectional descriptive investigation was carried out from December 2022 to March 2023 among 112-KAMCs' radiology practitioners and interns, using previously developed and validated questionnaire comprised of five distinct sections, each serving a specific purpose, and with a non-probability convenient sampling technique. Descriptive statistics were generated for participants' demographics, and chi-square and fisher's exact tests were used to examine the association between participants' demographics and their involvement in research.

Results

Among the 137 KAMCs' radiology practitioners and interns who were invited to participate, 112 responded and completed the questionnaire, resulting in an overall response rate of 81.75%. Radiology practitioners and interns from various medical imaging subspecialties were found to be involved in research to the extent of 83%, with nearly half (40.9%) of them have had publications, and 53.3% of these publications being either cross-sectional studies or retrospective clinical studies. A lack of time (66.1%), a lack of a professional supervisor support program (50.9%), and deficiency in research skills (45.5%) were common obstacles that may impede the participants' ability to conduct research. The most common motives for participants to conduct research were the desire to improve their resumes (69.6%), get accepted into postgraduate radiology programs (58%), and improve their research skills (52.7%).

Conclusion

KAMCs' radiology practitioners and interns have a positive attitude toward performing research. Despite the high percentage (83%) of those involved in research, the number of publications remains low. A crucial step to advancing the profession's evidence base is engaging radiology practitioners and interns in research and encouraging radiology practitioner-led research. The study findings can serve as a valuable basis for designing developmental programs aimed at overcoming research obstacles among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia.

Identification of research priorities of radiography science: A modified Delphi study in Europe

Radiography science is a new discipline among health sciences. It is a discipline that investigates phenomena in medical imaging, radiation therapy, and nuclear medicine. It has merged from the need to provide research evidence to support these services. The domain of the discipline needs clarification and more research should be focused on its paradigmatic issues. Radiography research priorities have been previously charted on a national level in different countries but the viewpoint has been that of the needs of the profession, not of the discipline. This study aimed to identify the priorities of the discipline. The method chosen was a modified version of the Delphi technique with two rounds. The expert panel consisted of 24 European radiography researchers with long professional experience. This study shows that the research priorities in radiography science are related to the phenomena of radiographers' profession, clinical practices, and the safe and high-quality use of radiation and technology for medical imaging, radiotherapy, and nuclear medicine. Identifying these priorities can help focus research onto most important topics and clarify disciplinary perspective.

Facilitators for and barriers to radiography research in public healthcare in Nordic countries

INTRODUCTION

It has been suggested that the future of diagnostic imaging relies on engagement in research and evidence-based practice. This implies a role transition from a clinical radiographer to a clinical radiographer-researcher. Clinical radiographers' stimuli for engaging in research in Nordic countries are unknown. This study aimed to address this gap.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data collection via an online questionnaire on facilitators for and barriers to participation in radiography research was carried out among 507 clinical radiographers in public healthcare in the Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

RESULTS

Support from colleagues (odds ratio [OR] 2.62) and other professionals (OR 2.74), and self-esteem in research skills (OR ≥ 2.21), were facilitators for radiography research. Lack of knowledge and skills to conduct research (OR 2.48) was revealed to hinder radiographers' participation in research. The absence of a radiography research culture in the workplace explained non-participation in research (OR 1.75).

CONCLUSION

This study revealed significant factors for clinical radiographers' participation in research.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

A strategy for establishing a radiography research culture in healthcare is proposed that is novel for the context. Management support for knowledge development and activity leading to inter-professional research projects across knowledge fields, provision of a radiography research lead and acknowledgement of radiography research among colleagues signify the establishment of the culture. These prerequisites might provide a paradigm change towards not only the symbiosis of a clinical radiographer and an autonomous researcher but also a partner who adds radiography research to evidence-based practice in diagnostic imaging.

Phenomena of radiography science - A scoping review

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the study is to clarify the domain of radiography science. The main goal of science is building knowledge and developing ideas and theories that explain, predict, understand or interpret the phenomena investigated. Each discipline has its own perspective to view and study the phenomena of interest. The disciplinary perspective enables researchers in radiography science to reason and conceptualize phenomena, but it can also restrict them. The aim of this review was to investigate phenomena that are at the core of the discipline of radiography science.

METHODS

This study used a scoping review as the method. A systematic search was carried out in the databases: Science Direct, Pubmed, Cinahl, and Scopus. The selection of articles was conducted by predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria for the title, abstract and full text. After the exclusion process, fourteen articles were selected for a final review. The articles were analyzed with inductive content analysis.

RESULTS

From the articles, 117 research interests were identified; these were merged into 17 categories and further into six main categories. The main categories represent the phenomena radiography science investigates. The phenomena are: the radiographers' profession, clinical practices in diagnostic and therapeutic patient pathways, safe and high quality use of radiation, radiographic technology, discipline, management and leadership of radiography professionals CONCLUSIONS: Radiography science has a conceptual structure of its own that needs more investigation. Radiography science researches distinctive phenomena and specialized knowledge, common to researchers from different traditions and subspecialties thus justifying its existence.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Investigating the core phenomena of interest in radiography science can support researchers in the field to focus their research and to develop the concepts of radiography.

The pop-up research centre - Challenges and opportunities

OBJECTIVES

This article sets out to describe the concept of the "pop-up" research centre as a means to promote and develop radiography research locally, nationally and internationally, and to empower professional colleagues to set up similar initiatives in the future.

KEY FINDINGS

A detailed overview of the development and management of "pop-up" research is provided based on the experiences of the authors, including specific examples. Matters such as study design, approvals, equipment and software, environment, participant recruitment and management, research teams and activity costs are discussed. Quantifiable benefits of "pop-up" research such as resultant peer reviewed publications, development of researchers' skills and potential collaborations are described. A number of "soft skill" benefits are also apparent and include enhanced organisational profiles, team building and the development of leadership skills.

CONCLUSIONS

"Pop-up" research centres are a valuable option for conducting research and offer the radiography profession an achievable mechanism to increase and enhance research activity. However, careful planning and execution are essential.