Final year physiotherapy student's reliability in chest X-ray interpretation

BACKGROUND: Newly qualified physiotherapists may be required to interpret an unreported chest X-ray (CXR) as part of their physiotherapy assessment in "on call" situations. Their interpretation may influence the patient management strategies they adopt. There is no research published which have tested the reliability of final year physiotherapy students in CXR interpretation.

METHODS: Twenty-five final year physiotherapy students were asked to view and interpret the findings of six CXRs, together with a brief vignette, typical of a single commonly encountered diagnosis. Students were also asked if they had received additional CXR training on placement or had a desire to specialize in respiratory care.

RESULTS: The CXR interpretations were scored as incorrect 0, partially correct 1 (abnormality detected but not able to diagnose or missed some detail) and 2 correct. Scores for each of the six CXRs were added to give a total score (out of 12). The median score was 3 out of 12, (range 0-9). Median scores were slightly higher at 4 out of 12 in those students with additional training or a desire to specialize (range 1-7), but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.43).

CONCLUSIONS: Final year physiotherapy students were not able to reliably interpret CXRs. These findings were consistent with previous published research involving medical students. Therefore on graduation before starting "on call" duties it is recommended newly qualified physiotherapists receive additional training in CXR interpretation.