Preserving Radiology Resident Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Simulated Daily Readout

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Radiology
• Health Informatics

Background:

• The daily resident readout is crucial for radiology training.
• Decreased imaging volume and case diversity during the COVID-19 pandemic diminished its educational value.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a simulated daily readout (SDR) to restore the educational value of resident training.
• To assess the effectiveness of the SDR in mimicking a resident's daily work.

Main Methods:

• Developed an "educational" environment with separate Picture Archive Communication System and reporting system instances.
• Selected and anonymized cases for daily worklists, ensuring a mix of normal and abnormal imaging studies.
• Conducted surveys with residents and faculty to evaluate the SDR's effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Thirty-two residents participated in the SDR, dictating an average of 480 cases daily.
• The SDR included 3682 cases over the first 20 days.
• Surveys indicated that both residents and faculty found the SDR effective in mimicking daily work and preserving education.

Conclusions:

• The SDR effectively preserved the educational value of the daily readout for radiology residents.
• This method provided a solution despite decreased imaging volume and case mix diversity during the COVID-19 pandemic.