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Erschienen in:
16.03.2017 | Clinical Investigation
Is it Time for a Specific Undergraduate Interventional Radiology Curriculum?
Erschienen in: CardioVascular and Interventional Radiology | Ausgabe 7/2017
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Purpose
Interventional radiology (IR) is traditionally underrepresented in undergraduate medical curricula. Final-year medical students ought to be familiar with some common IR procedures in order to make adequate referrals and work-up patients appropriately. We evaluated the knowledge of final-year medical students on common IR procedures and compared it with their knowledge of other specialties.
Materials and Methods
A fourteen-question, single-best-answer questionnaire assessing the knowledge of IR procedures and other minimally invasive non-IR procedures was administered to a group of final-year medical students. Paired two-tailed student’s t test was used to compare knowledge across specialties.
Results
Fifty-one questionnaires were administered and returned. No student answered all questions correctly. The median score was 5/11. The best-answered question was on coronary intervention followed by neurosurgical procedures. The average score for IR procedures was 38% versus 57% for non-IR procedures (P < 0.0005). While most students had come across IR previously, 70% would like further exposure. We also accessed the undergraduate curricula of five London Medical Schools; all five have a radiology curriculum, but only one has a dedicated IR section.
Conclusion
Medical students’ lack of IR exposure translates into a lack of appreciation of the role of the specialty. We propose the introduction of a specific undergraduate IR curriculum to bridge this knowledge gap.