Interpreting office radiographs: a research-based curricular prototype for training family practice residents

Radiographic film interpretation is one area of the family practice residency training curriculum that has been given little focused emphasis. Starting with a series of studies into the office practice of radiology by family physicians to define need, content, and interpretation skill level, and following a systematic curriculum design process, the authors developed a comprehensive curriculum for teaching office X-ray interpretation to family practice residents. The final curricular prototype consists of: 1) a complete set of curriculum objectives; 2) a written monograph; 3) a set of instructional X-rays; and 4) a set of evaluation films. This research-based curriculum development process may serve as a model for developing other educational components for family practice residency training.