title: Research Priorities in the Utilization and Interpretation of Diagnostic Imaging: Education, Assessment, and Competency.
abstract: The appropriate selection and accurate interpretation of diagnostic imaging is a crucial skill for emergency practitioners. To date, the majority of the published literature and research on competency assessment comes from the subspecialty of point-of-care ultrasound. A group of radiologists, physicists, and emergency physicians convened at the 2015 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference to discuss and prioritize a research agenda related to education, assessment, and competency in ordering and interpreting diagnostic imaging. A set of questions for the continued development of an educational curriculum on diagnostic imaging for trainees and competency assessment using specific assessment methods based on current best practices was delineated. The research priorities were developed through an iterative consensus-driven process using a modified nominal group technique that culminated in an in-person breakout session. The four recommendations are: 1) develop a diagnostic imaging curriculum for emergency medicine (EM) residency training; 2) develop, study, and validate tools to assess competency in diagnostic imaging interpretation; 3) evaluate the role of simulation in education, assessment, and competency measures for diagnostic imaging; 4) study is needed regarding the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria, an evidence-based peer-reviewed resource in determining the use of diagnostic imaging, to maximize its value in EM. In this article, the authors review the supporting reliability and validity evidence and make specific recommendations for future research on the education, competency, and assessment of learning diagnostic imaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, CO.
authors.forename: Resa E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Lewiss
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
authors.forename: Wilma
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Alexander Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Meltzer
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, PA.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cherney
authors.affiliation: Department Sports, Orthopedics, and Emergency Imaging, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Manickam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kumaravel
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging Physics, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Dianna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cody
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Francisco/San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA.
authors.forename: Esther H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003245:Consensus Statements as Topic; D003479:Curriculum; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results