The Status of Canadian Radiology Mentorship Programs, Where We Stand and Where to Improve.

Background: The importance of mentorship in medicine is well-established. Access to mentors is pivotal in enhancing career opportunities and networking, increasing research productivity, and overall wellness and resilience at all career stages. Our study aims to assess the current status of radiology mentorship programs for Canadian medical students and radiology residents. Methods: We distributed an anonymous survey to Canadian radiology program directors in December 2022. The questions pertained to the existing mentorship programs' specific goals, structure, and success. Our null hypothesis was that medical students and residents have similar mentorship opportunities. Results: We have received 12 responses (a response rate of 12/16 = 75%), 9 of which had formal mentorship programs and 3 (25%) did not. Comparing the mentorship program for medical students and residents yielded a P-value = .11 > .05. This result does not reject our null hypothesis, indicating there is no significant difference between these 2 groups. Using qualitative analysis, we categorized the responses into 4 main themes: mentorship programs' goals, structures, evaluation methods, and their results. Conclusion: Although our result did not reach statistical significance (P-value = .11 > .05), the observed trend shows that one third of Canadian medical schools do not offer a radiology mentorship program for medical students, highlighting a potentially significant opportunity for improvement. Qualitative analysis shows that despite various methods for assigning mentees to mentors, developing formalized yet flexible mentorship models that allow students and residents to self-select their mentors might be more beneficial than randomly assigning mentors to them.

A trend, analysis, and solution on women's representation in diagnostic radiology in North America: a narrative review.

Despite the demonstrated benefits of gender diversity in medicine, women in Radiology in North America are still underrepresented. We reviewed the literature to highlight the current status of women in Radiology in North America, identify the underlying causes of the gender gap, and provide potential strategies to close this gap. We conducted a narrative literature review using the terms ("Gender Disparity" OR "Gender Inequality") AND ("Radiology Department" OR "Radiology Residency"), searching data from April 2000 to April 2022 in Ovid Medline, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus. Our results indicate that Radiology in North America lacks gender diversity in its subspecialties, academic leadership, and research productivity, which the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated. Challenges stemming from a dearth of women role models, limited preclinical contact, and a high rate of burnout contribute to the current gender inequality. Several complementary and supplementary steps can enhance gender diversity in Radiology. These include increasing education and exposure to Radiology at earlier stages and optimizing mentorship opportunities to attract a more diverse pool of talent to the discipline. In addition, supporting resident parents and enhancing the residency program's culture can decrease the rate of burnout and encourage women to pursue careers and leadership positions in Radiology.

Usage of ultrasound indices in nocturnal enuresis treated with desmopressin therapy.

BACKGROUND: Nocturnal enuresis is a common problem in children and could be treated with desmopressin therapy. Here we assessed ultrasound indices affecting disease severity and treatment responses in candidates for pharmacotherapy for nocturnal enuresis. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted in 2021-2022 on children diagnosed with nocturnal enuresis and candidates for desmopressin therapy. Demographic data of patients including age and gender were collected by a checklist. The severity of the disease was categorized into mild, moderate and severe. We measured the bladder volume index (BVI), bladder wall thickness (BT) and bladder volume wall thickness index (BVWI) by ultrasound. Patients were treated with desmopressin (administered 120 µg, stat and before sleeping) for 4 months and treatment responses were determined and compared. RESULTS: In this study, data from 72 patients were analyzed. Complete response was achieved in 16 patients (22.2%), 25 patients (34.7%) had a good response to treatments, 18 patients (25%) had a partial response and 13 patients (18.1%) had no response. There was a significantly positive correlation between low and normal BVWI and the severity of the disease. Normal BVWI was found mostly in children with a mild degree of nocturnal enuresis; while low BVWI was associated with severe cases. There was a significant inverse correlation between response to treatment and bladder wall thickness. BVWI was significantly correlated with response to treatment. It was shown that 81.3% of children with complete responses and 76% of children with good responses had a normal BVWI, while 76.9% of children who showed no response to treatment had a low BVWI. CONCLUSION: BVWI and bladder wall thickness were significantly correlated with treatment response and BVWI had significant correlations with disease severity.