Submission ID 118485
| Issue/Objective | According to the World Health Organization, two-thirds of the world's population lacks access to diagnostic imaging despite imaging being the most commonly referred specialty in high-income countries. As global health efforts place greater emphasis on radiological services, medical trainees are increasingly engaged in this area. However, only one study conducted in 2014 assessed Canadian radiology residents' perception of global health imaging (GHI). Given the lack of Canadian literature on this topic, we conducted the first bilingual Canadian survey on radiology residents and fellows' perspectives on GHI, including their interest, perceived barriers, and potential strategies to include GHI in the curriculum. |
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| Methodology/Approach | We distributed anonymous surveys to residents and fellows across all 16 English and French-speaking radiology programs in Canada. We performed a quantitative evaluation to examine the drivers and barriers to GHI training participation. |
| Results | 43 residents and fellows answered the survey. Results showed that 67.4% of residents and fellows perceived an unmet need for medical imaging in developing countries, and 46.5% plan to engage in international medical aid in radiology. However, 74.5% felt unsure or not prepared by their current training to do so. The majority (60.5%) showed interest in global health experience or outreach programs, with most preferring a 2-6 weeks rotation. Additionally, we identified key barriers to getting involved in GHI, such as lack of funding, lack of information, and lack of established infrastructure within radiology (90.7%, 93%, 93.1% respectively answering strongly agree or somewhat agree). Finally, effective approaches were identified to integrate GHI into residency programs, including elective rotations in developing countries, opportunities in international teleradiology, and case presentations focused on high-prevalence diseases in developing countries. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Radiology plays a critical role in diagnosis, intervention, and treatment and is closely linked to global health security. Understanding residents' perspectives allows us to identify priority areas for improving residency curriculums and fostering sustainable capacity-building. By removing barriers and promoting international partnerships, we can empower future Canadian radiologists as leaders in global health. |
| Presenters and affiliations | Marie-Xinyi Sun Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Mehrshad Bakhshi Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Charles-Antoine Boucher Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Tharshanna Nadarajah 2Department of Mathematics and Statistics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Ralph Nelson Department of Diagnostic Radiology, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Karl Muchantef Department of Diagnostic Radiology, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Josephine Pressacco Department of Diagnostic Radiology, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
