In radiology training programs, radiology trainees frequently interpret imaging exams that are not immediately overread by attending radiologists. A trainee may also send cases to multiple attending radiologists who finalize imaging reports at a different time and location than the trainee. This dynamic makes it difficult for residents to learn from cases they do not review in person with an attending radiologist, according to presenter Dr. Richard Sharpe.
To rectify the situation, the institution developed a PACS plug-in that allows attendings to provide feedback by clicking a button on their PACS workstation. Feedback is organized into several categories, and attendings can also type a message that is automatically emailed to the trainee, he said.
Trainees have found the system to be efficient and useful.
"Residents can get timely and useful feedback that is both positive and negative on all imaging examinations they interpret without interrupting the workflow of supervising radiologists," Sharpe said. "Valuable educational pearls that might previously have gone uncommunicated arrive instantly in residents' email boxes in a HIPAA-compliant fashion."
The system also enables the monitoring of trainee performance, allowing for deficiencies to be identified early on.
"Stellar trainee performance can also be communicated in real-time, rewarding hardworking residents for their efforts and motivating average residents to be excellent," he said.
