Incorporating Reflective Learning Practices In Medical Imaging Curriculum.

PURPOSE: To provide an overview of the reflective learning cycle, as well as common reflective learning models, as a means of informing future implementation of reflective learning assignments in medical imaging curriculum. METHODS: Journal articles were searched for in Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and ResearchGate, as well as the university's library databases using the keywords reflective learning, Kolb's model of learning, reflective learning practices in health care, and reflective learning in radiography. Out of 19 articles found, 12 articles were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS: The literature search yielded results in health care education, nursing, medicine, medical imaging and radiography, pharmacy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. DISCUSSION: Studies have shown that reflection is an integral aspect of learning and has substantial implications for learners' clinical practice. Reflection is a cognitive process that facilitates learning, assists in the understanding and application of knowledge to clinical situations, and develops new clinical knowledge in student radiographers. When reflective activities, such as journaling, portfolios, and problem-based learning, are scaffolded throughout the curriculum, students develop critical reflection skills that positively affect their clinical practice. CONCLUSION: Reflective learning practices can positively affect student learning, clinical decision-making skills, and patient outcomes. When reflective learning activities are incorporated throughout the curriculum, students are more effectively able to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and clinical practice. In addition, the reflective learning process allows learners to examine their clinical experiences while providing context for application and future clinical practice and continued learning.

Student Observations Reveal Gaps Between Chest Imaging Theory and Practice.

PURPOSE: To assess whether first-year radiography students observed differences between what they were taught in didactic and laboratory courses and how technologists perform chest imaging procedures during clinical experiences. METHODS: This study used a mixed-methods approach with a cross-sectional survey, consisting of 11 quantitative and 11 qualitative items, during the fall 2020 semester. The survey asked participants to evaluate survey statements based on their observations of radiographers' behaviors during chest imaging procedures in relation to the 11 American Registry of Radiologic Technologist clinical competency areas. Participants rated their evaluations based on the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with statements regarding radiographers' behaviors using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). For each statement, a follow-up, open-ended question asked participants to provide reasons why they thought technologists did or did not exhibit certain behaviors. Data were analyzed quantitatively with differential statistics and qualitatively by thematically categorizing open-ended responses. RESULTS: A total of 19 first-year radiography students (N = 19) completed the survey. Most participants somewhat agreed or strongly agreed with 8 out of the 11 competency statements based on their observations of technologists when performing chest imaging procedures: room preparation (73.7%), patient identity verification (89.5%), examination order verification (79%), patient assessment (79%), equipment operation (52.6%), patient management (100%), technique selection (73.6%), and image evaluation (94.7%). Most participants somewhat disagreed, strongly disagreed, or were neutral with 3 out of the 11 categories: patient positioning, radiation safety, and image processing. Qualitatively, participants responded that technologists only provided lead shielding for pediatric patients, were not instructing patients to take 2 inspirations before making an exposure, and were cropping their images electronically before submitting them for diagnoses. DISCUSSION: Participants reported inconsistencies between what they were taught and what they saw technologists doing during chest imaging procedures related to patient positioning, radiation safety, and imaging processing. Participants' responses stated that these inconsistencies might be because of an increase in technologist responsibilities, patient volumes, and fear of not including relative anatomy on their images. CONCLUSION: Participants reported the most disagreement with radiation safety during chest imaging procedures. Although lead shielding for abdominal and pelvic procedures is no longer recommended, shielding patients during chest imaging procedures is still recommended. Radiography programs can educate students that inconsistency between task order does not mean there is a gap between theory and practice.

Preclinical magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy in the fields of radiological technology, medical physics, and radiology.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an indispensable diagnostic imaging technique used in the clinical setting. MRI is advantageous over X-ray and computed tomography (CT), because the contrast provided depends on differences in the density of various organ tissues. In addition to MRI systems in hospitals, more than 100 systems are used for research purposes in Japan in various fields, including basic scientific research, molecular and clinical investigations, and life science research, such as drug discovery, veterinary medicine, and food testing. For many years, additional preclinical imaging studies have been conducted in basic research in the fields of radiation technology, medical physics, and radiology. The preclinical MRI research includes studies using small-bore and whole-body MRI systems. In this review, we focus on the animal study using small-bore MRI systems as "preclinical MRI". The preclinical MRI can be used to elucidate the pathophysiology of diseases and for translational research. This review will provide an overview of previous preclinical MRI studies such as brain, heart, and liver disease assessments. Also, we provide an overview of the utility of preclinical MRI studies in radiological physics and technology.

[Clinical Validation of Chest X-ray Educational Content for Radiography Students Using Gaze Information].

PURPOSE: Radiography training for students in colleges of radiology should be based on real clinical situations. The purpose of this study was to verify the clinical validity of our originally developed scenarios for chest X-ray training and the instructional contents using gaze information of experienced radiology technologists (RTs). METHODS: We divided 8 RTs with different experiences into an evaluator group (3 RTs) and a subject group (5 RTs). The evaluator group created a validation model consisting of 31 items, a chest X-ray scenario, instructional contents, and gaze attention objects during the scenario. The subject group simulated chest X-ray wearing an eye tracker. The evaluator group evaluated fit rates of the validation model to subjects' procedures based on gaze information to verify the clinical validity of the validation model. RESULTS: The subject group procedures did not deviate from the scenario. We obtained a fit rate of 91.6±6.70%. CONCLUSION: Our validation model showed more than 90% fitting with the chest X-ray techniques of five RTs with different backgrounds. This result suggested that the scenario and instructional contents in this study had clinical validity.

Answering Japanese Fill-in-the-Blank Questions in the Radiological Technology Field Using BERT.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of Japanese fill-in-the-blank questions in the radiological technology field using six BERT models. Our original model, created using 330,000 abstracts related to radiological technology, was as accurate as other models created by Wikipedia when vocabulary size was the same. Further improvements in accuracy can be expected if we can increase the vocabulary size and add Japanese Wikipedia data in training.