Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences最新文献

Maximise your continuing professional development (CPD) by reading the selected article and answering the five questions. Please remember to self-claim your CPD and retain your supporting evidence.

Maximise your continuing professional development (CPD) by reading the following selected article and answering the five questions. Please remember to self-claim your CPD and retain your supporting evidence. Answers will be available via the QR code and published in JMRS—Volume 73, Issue 4, December 2026.

Scan this QR code to find the answers.

Introduction: Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experiences are a key component in medical imaging (MI) studies. However, these unpaid placements often result in significant financial stress, otherwise known as 'placement poverty', due to reduced income during placement and associated costs. Despite significant research in other allied health disciplines, the impact on MI students remains under-researched.

Methods: A structured survey based upon the WIDE survey originally developed in New Zealand was administered by the University's Qualtrics platform. Ethics approval was granted (Ethics # 6894). The survey targeted students in their final 2 years of the four-year Honours degree, along with students within 2 years post-graduation. The survey collected both quantitative and qualitative data on financial stress during WIL placements. Of 250 eligible participants, 56 responded, with 28 complete responses included in the analysis.

Results: Findings have demonstrated MI students experience substantial financial hardship during WIL placements. Key stressors included travel, accommodation, uniforms, and increased daily living costs. Full-time placement schedules limited students' ability to maintain part-time employment, with rural placements further increasing their financial burden. Students reported impacts on mental health, academic performance, and overall wellbeing. Financial stress led some students to reduce their study load, take leave from the course or consider course withdrawal.

Conclusion: This study highlights the significant financial challenges facing MI students during WIL placements, with implications for students' retention and workforce sustainability. Targeted financial support, flexible placement models, and policy reform are urgently needed to ensure equitable training and to address the ongoing workforce shortage.

Augmented reality (AR) is gaining traction in radiography education, offering tactile engagement enhanced by digital overlays. This editorial compares AR with virtual reality (VR), highlighting both hidden and visible costs, and draws lessons from VR research to guide future adoption. It calls for direct comparative studies to inform evidence-based implementation.

Introduction: Systematic and random errors in radiation dose delivery necessitate the use of planning target volume (PTV) margins to ensure adequate clinical target volume (CTV) treatment. Advances in magnetic resonance-guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) have enabled improved imaging with possible margin reduction; however, the optimal PTV margins remain uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the adaptive radiotherapy component of intra-fractional prostate movement in MRgRT for prostate cancer (PCa) patients and determine appropriate PTV margins.

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 18 PCa patients treated using a 1.5 T MR-Linac. The initial fusion MR and verification MR scans were registered offline to assess prostate displacement between the two scans in the anterior-posterior (AP), left-right (LR) and superior-inferior (SI) directions. Random and systematic errors were calculated, and the PTV margins were determined using the Van Herk formula.

Results: The average time between MR scans was 22 min (range 9-54 min) compared to an average beam-on time of 6 min (range 2-11 min). Mean and standard deviation of translational displacement was 1.2 ± 0.9 mm in the AP, 0.6 ± 0.5 mm in the LR, and 1.1 ± 0.8 mm in the SI directions. The calculated PTV margin was 3.2 mm in AP, 1.7 mm in LR, and 3.2 mm in SI directions. There was an observed trend of increased prostate motion with increased treatment duration.

Conclusion: MRgRT facilitates PTV margin reduction for PCa; however, our findings suggest that increased on-couch time may be associated with greater prostate motion. Future studies with larger patient cohorts and real-time motion monitoring are recommended to optimise margin strategies.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic caught the world by surprise, causing unprecedented disruptions. The training of diagnostic radiography students was particularly affected due to lockdowns and strict regulations. This study aimed to explore and describe diagnostic radiography students' workplace-based and online learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa.

Methods: Using an online open-ended questionnaire, the data were collected from 48 fourth-year diagnostic radiography students in 2023 from the four participating Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in South Africa. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Thematic analysis, supported by Atlas.Ti analysis software, was employed to analyse the data.

Results: Four key themes were revealed: Theme 1: Clinical placement experiences during COVID-19. Theme 2: Participants' personal protective equipment (PPE) experiences during COVID-19. Theme 3: Participants' experiences of inclusive learning enablers. Theme 4: Impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on learning experiences. Diagnostic radiography students in South Africa faced significant challenges during clinical placements and online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, including fear, stress, fatigue and emotional exhaustion due to increased workloads. Online learning offered convenience but came with difficulties adapting to new methods and accessing materials, alongside technical issues.

Conclusion: The findings highlight diverse experiences among diagnostic radiography students during the pandemic. This research will inform practical recommendations to improve student support during crises, helping them better navigate future similar situations.

The utility of radiation and radiation therapy to treat patients with cancer is determined by more than just biomedical or physical factors: patient perceptions of radiation influence both uptake of and adherence to radiation therapy. Such perceptions have been represented in various genres of art and are identifiable in novels, poems, music, film and paintings. In this paper, we outline how radiation therapy has been represented in novels, poems, music, film and the visual arts. Adopting a narrative review approach, empirical research on patient perceptions of radiation therapy is briefly summarised, as are studies on behavioural interventions to help patients cope with radiation therapy. The potential applicability of music (music therapy), film (photovoice) and painting (art therapy) in patients having to undergo radiation therapy is briefly considered. Key findings pertain to improving psychological responses to radiation therapy (reduction in anxiety, depression, fatigue), medical outcomes (duration and perceived discomfort) and patient-healthcare provider communication. As health humanities is the overarching paradigm for research and clinical work in this domain, the examination of patient experiences of radiation therapy provides a novel and timely field of research and clinical work in radiation therapy and health psychology.

Introduction: Automatic exposure control (AEC) is a device used in radiographic practice which terminates a radiographic acquisition when a certain exposure threshold is reached. The AEC is commonly utilised for in-bucky imaging, such as for the chest, abdomen, pelvis and spine. There are many benefits to utilising the AEC where awareness and knowledge of the technology are thoroughly understood. Poor technique when utilising the AEC, however, will alter dose, and by extension, image quality. This study aimed to assess how changes in patient positioning when using AEC for chest, abdomen, lumbar spine and pelvic x-ray examinations affect patient dose and image quality?

Methods: An anthropomorphic phantom was marked every 1 cm from the ideal centring point in each direction; superior, inferior, left lateral and right lateral, for up to 5 cm of off-centring. Exposures were taken at each position and the tube current, air kerma and signal-to-noise ratios recorded for each exposure.

Results: Air-kerma changes ranged from a maximum reduction of 6.06%, 74.72%, 76.07%, and 35.66% for the chest, abdomen, pelvis and lumbar spine, respectively, to a maximum increased air kerma of 50.09%, 8.00% and 10.32% for the chest, pelvis and lumbar spine. The abdomen did not demonstrate any increased air-kerma results. Statistically significant changes (p < 0.05) to dose were observed in 54 of the 80 (67.5%) separate recordings. Changes to signal-to-noise ratio varied from a maximum negative change of 49.14% to a maximum positive change of 25.10%.

Conclusion: Statistically significant differences in dose were commonly discovered for mis-positioning beyond 1-2 cm, which will likely occur within the clinical environment. Such variation in dose and signal-to-noise ratio identifies potential impacts to image quality and dose burdens to patients. The results highlight the need for careful consideration when using the AEC and the requirement for accurate positioning technique by the radiographer.

Introduction: Although primarily used for female patients, mammography is a valuable tool for detecting male breast abnormalities, providing detailed images of breast tissue. Due to the low incidence of male breast imaging, limited male-specific studies exist on radiation exposure. This study measured the acquisition radiation dose of male patients undergoing full-field digital mammography (FFDM) and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) at an Australian tertiary hospital and compared these values with published cohorts. The goal was to determine whether differences in breast anatomy between sexes influenced radiation dose levels.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 266 male breast imaging acquisitions (66 patients, 78 procedures) across two hospital sites between February 2019 and April 2024 was performed. Both FFDM (n = 164) and DBT (n = 102) were assessed. Radiation dose metrics, including entrance surface air kerma (ESAK) and glandular dose (GD), were extracted from DICOM headers using a Python script. Data was anonymised and analysed with descriptive statistics, Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Whitney U, and Pearson correlation to compare modalities and explore associations between patient and technical factors.

Results: Median participant age was 65 years; median breast thickness 51 mm. Median FFDM variables: 28 kVp, 128 mAs, 570 ms exposure time, 2.7 mGy ESAK, 0.83 mGy GD. For DBT: 29 kVp, 100 mAs, 975 ms exposure time, 4.7 mGy ESAK, 1.34 mGy GD. Shapiro-Wilk (p < 0.001) confirmed non-normal distributions. DBT doses were significantly higher than FFDM (Mann-Whitney U, p < 0.001). FFDM GD values were lower than both male and female cohorts reported previously. Breast thickness correlated strongly with FFDM ESAK (Pearson r = 0.72, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: This study quantified ESAK and GD in male FFDM and DBT patients and compared these values with published female cohorts. Male doses were consistently lower, likely from reduced breast thickness and density. This study successfully measured acquisition dose in male mammography patients, identifying differences by sex and highlighting breast anatomy's influence.