Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical radiography education: Perspective of students and educators from a low resource setting.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on clinical radiography educational activities including teaching, research, and clinical placement. The study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical radiography education in a low-resource setting from the perspectives of students and educators. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between December 2020 and March 2021. Participants included student radiographers and educators from six clinical radiography training institutions in Ghana. Conventional descriptive statistics, frequency, and thematic text analysis were undertaken. RESULTS: 291 valid responses were received involving 277 students and 14 educators. Most of the respondents, predominantly students did not find the online platforms for learning user-friendly. Key challenges to clinical radiography training during the pandemic included poor internet connectivity (73.8%), inadequate time for academic discussions (50.9%), and the reluctance of health facilities to accept students for clinical placement (51%). Challenges with data collection and the provision of supervision were issues associated with research activities. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on clinical radiography education in Ghana and other countries of similar resource availability. CONCLUSION: Clinical radiography training institutions need to customize approaches to education. Adopting blended learning approaches as well as the use of simulation to augment practical placement opportunities are new modes of instruction that will maximize learning experience.

Falling post-MRI examinations: 2 case reports.

BACKGROUND: The phenomenon where ambulant patients suffer sudden falls during the process of getting off the couch and walking to the changing room post magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination is uncommon. However, it can be a very disturbing experience for such patients. Therefore, there is the need to effectively support patients to avoid falls when they are getting off the MRI couch when the examination is completed. METHODS: Two ambulant patients who had undergone MRI were observed to have lost their balance when they attempted to get off from the MRI couch after their procedures. Face-to-face interrogations were made about what they felt. RESULTS: The two patients complained of experiencing some form of dizziness/vertigo when they got off the MRI couch. CONCLUSION: This paper reported two cases of falls that occurred in an MRI facility. The aim was to emphasize the need for extra care and support for all patients who undergo MRI examinations due to the potential risk of MRI induced vertigo or dizziness regardless of the patient's condition.