Evaluation of clinical experience in a radiology residency program with quantitative profiling: rationale, methods,...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Radiology
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Residency program evaluation traditionally relies on subjective assessments.
• Objective metrics are needed to gauge resident performance and program effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate "quantitative profiling" for radiology residency program assessment.
• To determine if computer retrieval of radiology reports can provide objective data on resident contributions, experience, and productivity.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of radiology reports from a major teaching hospital (1989-1997).
• Computer retrieval of the number of reports signed by residents and faculty.
• Description of resident clinical experience by subspecialty and modality for the 1993-1997 cohort.

Main Results:

• Residents signed 46.5% of all reports, averaging 14,445 reports per resident.
• Report distribution: thoracic (42.1%), musculoskeletal (26.1%), abdominal (13.4%), sonography (8.7%), neuroradiology (4.3%), nuclear (2.4%), breast (1.6%), vascular (1.4%).
• Most frequent reports involved one-view chest radiography.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative profiling provides objective data for tracking resident experience and progress.
• This method aids in resident deployment decisions and program modification.
• Empirical data from quantitative profiling supports evidence-based improvements in residency programs.