Navigating theatre radiography in low-resource settings: challenges faced by diagnostic radiographers in Zambia

Theatre radiography is vital in surgical, orthopaedic, and urological care, providing intraoperative imaging to guide procedures and ensure patient safety. However, little is known about theatre radiography services in Zambia. This study aimed to explore the challenges diagnostic radiographers face during theatre radiography in Zambia.

A qualitative phenomenological design was used. Ten diagnostic radiographers from public teaching and private hospitals across three provinces participated in semi-structured Zoom interviews. Heterogeneous purposive sampling was used to capture diverse experiences. Data were transcribed, managed in NVivo 12, and analysed using Giorgi's phenomenological approach, identifying meaning units, transforming them into themes, and integrating them into the phenomenon's essential structure. Trustworthiness was ensured through credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability strategies.

Five main themes emerged: (1) systemic and educational deficiencies, including inadequate pre-service and in-service training; (2) professional role encroachment and strained interprofessional relationships; (3) resource and infrastructural constraints, such as outdated C-arms, insufficient radiation protection devices, and poorly designed operating theatre rooms; (4) impacts on service delivery and professional well-being, including compromised image quality, patient safety risks, and psychological stress; (5) strategies for improvement, including enhanced theatre radiography training, investment in more and modern C-arm equipment and establishment of regular servicing.

Zambian radiographers face multifaceted challenges that hinder theatre radiography services, compromise patient safety, and affect professional well-being. Addressing educational gaps, improving interprofessional collaboration, and upgrading C-arm equipment are essential to enhance competence, confidence, and service quality.

Integrating theatre radiography into undergraduate radiography curricula, development of orientation programmes, and investing in modern C-arms can improve theatre radiography services in Zambia and similar settings.