Modified Delphi study - A UK diagnostic radiography standardised clinical assessment tool

Clinical education forms the cornerstone of pre-registration training for diagnostic radiography learners in the United Kingdom (UK). While all accredited programmes meet the standards required, variations exist in clinical assessment processes, raising questions about parity and consistency. This paper outlines the findings of a modified-Delphi study used to inform the development of a national standardised clinical assessment tool (CAT).

A three-round modified-Delphi study was conducted, where individual opinions were collated and combined to reach a group consensus with support from a project steering group. Consensus was sought on elements to include in the CAT with detailed proposals for: an integrated review process; clinical proficiencies; professional behaviours; marking criteria; roles and responsibilities.

110 participants completed round one, 67 completed round two and 57 completed round three with participants comprised of diagnostic radiography academics, clinicians and learners across the UK. Consensus was reached for the integrated review process, roles and responsibilities, professional behaviours and draft elements with a final list of sixteen clinical proficiencies, eight professional behaviours and a marking criteria to assess these domains. Areas of contention included using grades or percentages, the inclusion of summative one-day assessments, and use of terms such as ''projectional radiography''.

The proposed CAT is the first national, consensus-based standardised CAT in the UK for pre-registration diagnostic radiography. There is need for a pilot programme and development of clinical assessor training to ensure that the proposed CAT is valid, reliable and fit-for-purpose.

By standardising the clinical assessment process, the proposed CAT could promote parity in UK diagnostic radiography clinical education, improving assessor and learner experience, increasing collaboration between institutions and potentially contributing to an increase in clinical placement capacity.