A comparison of the radiographic interpretation skills of pediatric transport nurses and pediatric residents

Objective: To compare the radiograph interpretation skills of pediatric/neo natal transport nurses to those of 3rd-year pediatric residents. Design: A validation study of radiograph interpretation. Methods: Twelve pediatric transport nurses and nine senior pediatric reside nts were asked to interpret 20 radiographs or sets of radiographs, These fi lms had been previously selected and interpreted by a panel of pediatric ra diologists. The subjects' interpretations were compared with those of the r adiologists, and a score was assigned for each film or set of films. Five p oints were awarded for an interpretation in complete agreement with the rad iologists' interpretation; 2.5 points were awarded for partial agreement. N o points were awarded for complete disagreement. Subjects also answered que stions about prior training and experience in radiograph interpretation, Results: The 3rd-year residents' mean score was 66.34 (range 57.5-82.5), wh ile the nurses had a mean score of 33.75 (range 17.-47.5), This difference was significant (P < 0.001). The residents had a mean of 133.33 of formal r adiology instruction, while the nurses had less than 10 hours of instructio n. The nurses had received focused training in the identification of pneumo thoraces. The nurses had higher mean scores than the residents on the two s ets of films demonstrating pneumothoraces, but this difference was not sign ificant. Conclusions: The 3rd-year residents had significantly higher mean scores on a test of radiograph interpretation. The major difference between the grou ps appears to be the amount of formal training afforded the residents. The nurses' performance on the films demonstrating pneumothoraces suggests that focused training may be an effective means by which to gain skills importa nt to transport.