Roles and perspectives in supporting radiography student mental health: A qualitative exploration.

INTRODUCTION: University-based mental health services are crucial to supporting radiography students' mental health and addressing university mental health risk factors. This study aimed to identify factors causing mental health challenges among radiography students, understand their academic impact, and explore lecturers' potential roles in supporting students' well-being at a Zimbabwean tertiary institution. METHODS: A qualitative explorative study employing in-depth semi-structured interviews with 10 radiography students and eight educators was conducted. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim using Otter.ai software. The data was then analyzed inductively using thematic analysis in Nvivo 12, following Braun and Clarke's six-step approach. RESULTS: Three themes were created that describe the factors causing mental health challenges among radiography students, their academic impact, and lecturers' potential roles in supporting students' well-being. The themes are i. Mental health challenges in diverse social, personal, and environmental landscapes ii. Coping and building resilience, and iii. Educator roles in holistic support for mental health and personal growth. A six-step "Cascade" model of the educator roles was proposed. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlights the complex mental health issues faced by radiography students, emphasizing the need for increased attention, resources, and support in academic environments. It highlights the importance of encouraging healthy coping strategies and cultivating a well-being culture, with educators playing a crucial role in fostering friendly environments and providing comprehensive support. Future research should investigate educators' ability to take on these roles while maintaining their current duties in Education 5.0.

Sustainability in radiography: Knowledge, practices, and barriers among radiographers in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

INTRODUCTION: As the global demand for radiography services increases, departments need to be aware of the environmental impact of their practices and strive to reduce their carbon footprint. However, sustainability in radiography, particularly in low-resource settings, remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, practices, and barriers to sustainability in radiography practice among radiographers in Zimbabwe and Zambia. METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional study involving 216 consecutively sampled radiographers who completed an online questionnaire was conducted. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test, and exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 81.49 % of the radiographers had some familiarity with the concept of sustainability. The radiography educational curriculum was singled out as lacking sufficient content on sustainability (44.44 %). More than half of the radiographers reported the absence of deliberate sustainable practices in place in their respective departments (Zambia 51.02 %, Zimbabwe 54.69 %). The top reported barriers to sustainability include; a lack of priority for sustainability from leadership and organization (73.61 %), a lack of incentives for sustainability (75.46 %), and a lack of partnerships between suppliers and consumers on ways to improve diagnosis, patient safety and sustainability (82.4 %). CONCLUSION: This study offers valuable insights into the current state of sustainability in radiography in Zambia and Zimbabwe, highlighting the need for academic reforms, intentional departmental practices, and systemic changes to drive sustainable efforts in the field. Future research should aim to enhance the sustainability of radiographic examinations and procedures, thereby advancing the core practice of radiographers.

Emotional intelligence of radiography students in a low resource setting: A cross-sectional survey.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding noncognitive traits like emotional intelligence (EI) is valuable for radiography students, academics, practitioners, and educators. It helps them become aware of how these traits can impact their training, placements, and careers. This study aimed to evaluate the EI of radiography students at a tertiary institute in Harare, Zimbabwe. METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional study using a validated Trait EI questionnaire was conducted on students at a tertiary institute in Harare, Zimbabwe. Student t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Spearman's rho were employed for data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 84 radiography students were enrolled in this study. The students had relatively lower EI scores (4.31 +/-0.49) as compared to most of their global counterparts. A significant positive monotonic relationship was identified between age and self-control factor (Spearman's rho = 0.22, p = 0.04). There were no statistically significant differences in mean scores for the global and the four EI factors when stratified by gender, even though males had slightly higher scores than females in all but the emotionality factor. There were no significant differences in the mean scores of the global as well as the four factors by year of study. CONCLUSION: Deliberate, time-intensive curriculum interventions are needed to improve the EI of radiography students in Zimbabwe and this trend is potentially similar to other resource-limited settings. However, more context-specific evidence is needed to formulate the best techniques for EI interventions.

Exploring the perceptions of radiographers pertaining to the provision of quality radiological services in Zimbabwe.

INTRODUCTION: Radiology is part of the service industry; therefore, there is a need to understand quality and its associated factors. The cost of poor service quality is a loss of competitive advantage, increased litigation, misdiagnosis, unnecessary radiation exposure, and patient mortality. There has been little research into the factors influencing the quality of radiological services in Zimbabwe. This work, therefore, aimed to explore the radiographer's perceptions of the factors that affect the quality of radiological services at central hospitals in the Harare Metropolitan Province. METHODS: A qualitative, explorative study applying the SERVQUAL model was carried out. One-on-one interviews with 10 purposively sampled radiographers employed at central hospitals in the Harare Metropolitan Province were conducted. The data were managed by Nvivo 12 (QSR International) and analyzed by framework analysis. RESULTS: Radiographer's perceptions of the factors that affect the quality of radiological services were categorized by five themes namely; i. Tangibles - the physical appearance of the radiology department and facilities, ii. Reliability and dependability - the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately, iii. Responsiveness - the willingness to help patients and provide prompt service, iv. Assurance - the knowledge and courtesy of radiology staff and their ability to inspire trust and confidence, and v. Empathy - caring, the individualized attention the radiology department provides to its patients. CONCLUSION: Economically viable, well-designed national strategies are needed to prioritize and fund radiology in Zimbabwe and other resource-constrained settings. Recognition of acquired specialist skills by radiographers to halt the exodus and training of radiologists, radiology nurses, medical physicists, and biomedical engineers by local institutions will go a long way in improving the quality of radiological services.

Role development and extension for radiographers in computed tomography: Literature review findings and their application to Zimbabwe

Computed Tomography(CT) technology has evolved into avital diagnostic tool in modern medical practice, leading to the development and extension of the CT radiographer's role. While some countries have made progress in developing and extending radiographers' roles in CT, resource-constrained settings like Zimbabwe have been slower to implement these changes. The purpose of this review is to inform role changes for radiographers in Zimbabwe and similar settings by reviewing the literature on role development and extension for radiographers in CT. The review explores the concepts of role development and extension, emphasizing the necessity for changes in radiographers' roles in CT due to factors such as radiologists shortages, cost containment, quality improvement needs and technological advancements. It also addresses the opposition to role development and extension, emphasizing the fundamental impetus for these changes should be to provide high-quality and effective patient-centered care. The paper delves into specific areas of role development and extension for radiographers in CT, including intravenous (IV) cannulation and contrast media administration, performing CT colonoscopy examinations, reporting on CT brains, and the significance of research and clinical audit in CT. It underscores the potential benefits of these expanded roles, such as improved patient care, workflow efficiency, and the workload of radiologists, as well as advancements in education, service delivery, and technological innovations. The review underscores the need for further research to ensure evidence-based implementation of role development and extension for radiographers in CT. Embracing these changes and providing the necessary support and training can lead to improved patient care, address skill shortages, and advance the radiography profession in resource-constrained settings like Zimbabwe.

Radiography Managers' Perspectives on the Strategies to Mitigate Disruptive Behaviours: A Qualitative Exploratory Study.

Disruptive behaviours (DBs) are not normally in the scope of legal sanctions, notwithstanding their undesirable effects. Hence, many healthcare organizations still have difficulty in dealing with them in an effective manner. Several studies suggest that few organizations have tailor-made policies or procedures for evaluating, proving and mitigating these behaviours. However, evidence shows that mitigating DBs is critical to empowering healthcare workers to focus on providing superior, affordable and safe patient care. The aim of this study was to explore radiography managers' perspectives on the strategies to mitigate DBs involving radiographers. An exploratory qualitative study employing one-on-one semi-structured in-depth interviews was carried out between March and April 2021. Eleven radiography managers at central hospitals in Harare Metropolitan Province were selected by criterion-purposive sampling. The interview data were analyzed using Tesch's method of qualitative analysis. The data were first manually coded and then entered into Nvivo (QSR International Version 11) for further analysis. Three themes emerged from the interview data including awareness of DBs, willingness to address DBs, and conflict resolution. Context-specific strategies to mitigate DBs should be identified and implemented to guarantee a healthy work environment for radiographers so that they focus on providing excellent and safe patient care.

Disruptive behaviours involving radiographers that impede a safe work environment. Survey at central hospitals in Harare Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe.

Background: Understanding disruptive behaviours from the perspective of radiographers is important, as this professional group uses hazardous radiation in the execution of their duties, making patient safety of utmost concern. Objective: Determine the disruptive behaviours involving radiographers at central hospitals in Harare Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study was carried out at central hospitals in Harare Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe, where 100 radiographers were randomly selected. Results: Overall, 83% of radiographers had been exposed to an incident of DB in the preceding 12 months. Reported types of disruptive behaviour included: Verbal abuse (81%), sexual abuse (21%) and physical abuse (4%). Of the 21 radiographers that suffered sexual abuse, the majority 71 % (n=15) were female while 29% (n=6) were males. Prevalence odds ratio revealed that female radiographers were 1.8 times more likely than their male counterparts to be victims of the workplace sexual abuse (95% C.I.: 0 - 3.04). A significant 69% were abused by patients and their families/escorts, p=.001. Conclusion: More than 8 out of 10 radiographers in this study were exposed to disruptive behaviours, mostly from the patients and patient's family or escorts. A framework to increases awareness and address these behaviours is recommended.

Perceptions and Willingness to Undertake Transvaginal Sonography by Women at the Sally Mugabe Central Hospital, Zimbabwe

ntroduction: The acceptability and willingness to undergo Transvaginal Sonography by the patients havegeneratedmixedreactionsindifferenthealthcare settings. There is little that is known aboutZimbabweanwomen'sperceptionsandwillingness to undergo Transvaginal Sonography and there are no specific guidelines to guide its use. Aim:To evaluate the perception and willingness to undergo Transvaginal Sonography among women attending Obstetrics and Gynaecology clinic at SallyMugabeCentralHospitalinHarare, Zimbabwe.Methods:Across-sectionalsurveyusingastructured questionnaire was conducted between 1 and 30 June 2022. Atotal of 170 women attending the obstetrics and gynaecology clinic at Sally MugabeCentralHospitalwereselectedbyconsecutive sampling to participate in the study.Results:The majority of women (81.76%) had no previous TVS experience, with an equally large proportion (60.84%) not having seen a TVS probe before. Most of the women would prefer female sonographers (85.37%) to conduct the examination. In addition, about 58% of the participants concurred that a chaperone should be present. Less than half of the females (47.93%) were eager to have a TVS done on them. Equally, just 45% of the females said they would encourage others to have a TVS scan. The difference in willingness to undergo a TVS study stratified by employment status was statistically significant (chi-square 7.26, p = 0.03). Conclusion: Our study findings revealed that a large proportion of females had no previous TVS experience, with an equally large proportion not having seen a TVS probe before. Only a sizeable proportion of women were willing to accept TVS provided it is conducted by female sonographers and or in the presence of a chaperone. The findings underscoretheimportanceofeducationandawareness of the benefits of TVS in terms of diagnosis on maternal health outcomes, in the Zimbabwean population.