title: Is it Time for a Specific Undergraduate Interventional Radiology Curriculum?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Interventional radiology (IR) is traditionally underrepresented in undergraduate medical curricula. Final-year medical students ought to be familiar with some common IR procedures in order to make adequate referrals and work-up patients appropriately. We evaluated the knowledge of final-year medical students on common IR procedures and compared it with their knowledge of other specialties.
  
  
  METHODS
  A fourteen-question, single-best-answer questionnaire assessing the knowledge of IR procedures and other minimally invasive non-IR procedures was administered to a group of final-year medical students. Paired two-tailed student's t test was used to compare knowledge across specialties.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-one questionnaires were administered and returned. No student answered all questions correctly. The median score was 5/11. The best-answered question was on coronary intervention followed by neurosurgical procedures. The average score for IR procedures was 38% versus 57% for non-IR procedures (P < 0.0005). While most students had come across IR previously, 70% would like further exposure. We also accessed the undergraduate curricula of five London Medical Schools; all five have a radiology curriculum, but only one has a dedicated IR section.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medical students' lack of IR exposure translates into a lack of appreciation of the role of the specialty. We propose the introduction of a specific undergraduate IR curriculum to bridge this knowledge gap.
authors.affiliation: University College London, Gower St, Kings Cross, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Zaid
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Alsafi
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
authors.forename: Vamsee
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bhrugubanda
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
authors.forename: Sanjeev
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramachandran
authors.affiliation: Imperial College Healthcare NHS, Praed St, London, W2 1NY, UK. ali.alsafi03@alumni.imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alsafi
authors.affiliation: Imperial College Healthcare NHS, Praed St, London, W2 1NY, UK.|Imperial College London, Praed St, London, W2 1NY, UK.
authors.forename: Mohamad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamady
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000193:education; D015642:Radiology, Interventional / Q000193:education*; D013038:Specialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Interventional radiology; Medical education; Recruitment; Survey; Undergraduate curriculum