Influence of residency discipline and seniority on traumatic musculoskeletal radiographs interpretation accuracy: a...

Imaging studies are a significant and integral part of the initial assessment of patients admitted to the emergency department. Developing imaging diagnostic abilities early in residency is of paramount importance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare diagnosis accuracy of common musculoskeletal X-rays (XR) between residency disciplines and seniority.

A multicenter study which evaluated orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine (EM), and radiology residents, through a test set of common MSK XR. Residents were classified as "beginner" or "advanced" according to postgraduate year per residency. Residents were asked to answer whether the radiograph shows normal or pathological findings (success rate) and what is the diagnosis ("diagnosis accuracy"). Residents' answers were analyzed and assessed compared to experts' consensus.

A total of 100 residents (62% beginners) participated in this study. Fifty-four were orthopedic surgeons, 29 were EM residents and 17 were radiologists. The entire cohort's overall success rate was 88.5%. The overall mean success rates for orthopedic, EM, and radiology residents were 93.2%, 82.8%, and 83.3%, respectively, and were significantly different (p < 0.0001). Orthopedic residents had significantly higher diagnostic accuracy rates compared with both radiology and EM residents (p < 0.001). Advanced orthopedic and EM residents demonstrated higher diagnostic accuracy rates compared to beginner residents (p = 0.001 and p = 0.03, respectively).

Orthopedic residents presented higher diagnosis accuracy of MSK imaging compared to EM and radiology residents. Seniority had a positive effect on diagnosis accuracy. The development of an educational program on MSK XR is necessary to enhance the competency of physicians in their daily practice.