Effektives Training der chirurgischen Röntgenbefundung durch E-Learning

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of e-learning for reporting of x-ray-findings in a prospective, randomized trial was tested. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty advanced medical students were randomized into two groups. The test group practiced 4-6 hours with the newly developed software, the control group used conventional learning material. Afterwards, a test was carried out including 30 pathologic x-ray films that were randomly spread through 200 non-pathologic images. The required time, the number of correctly appraised images and the frequency of falsely suspected pathologies were recorded. In addition, we asked for an assessment of the own capabilities in evaluating x-ray films and of passing the radiology training. RESULTS: The test group showed a markedly improved efficiency in comparison to the control group in all parameters. The required time was 57.4% shorter than in the control group (p < 0.05), 18.3% more cases were evaluated correctly (p < 0.05). The frequency of falsely suspected pathologies decreased by 61% (p < 0.05). There was no significant correlation of the objective abilities of a student with his/her self-assessment or of passing the radiology course. CONCLUSION: This study shows that an effective standardized training of practical skills by means of e-learning is feasible and reasonable.