Purpose: Prostate MRI is established for the investigation of patients presenting with suspected early prostate cancer. Outcomes are dependent on both image quality and interpretation. This study assessed the impact of an educational intervention on participants' theoretical knowledge of the technique.
Methods: Eighty-one clinicians from two centers with varying experience in prostate MRI participated. Baseline knowledge was assessed with 10 written and image-based multiple-choice questions (MCQs) prior to a course including didactic lectures and hands-on interactive workshops on prostate MRI interpretation. Post-course, participants completed a second 10-question MCQ test, matched by format, themes, and difficulty, to assess for any improvement in knowledge and performance. Results were assessed using the Wilcoxon rank sum test, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired data.
Results: Thirty-nine participants, including 25/49 (51.0%) and 14/32 (43.8%) at each center completed both assessments, with their results used for subsequent evaluation. Overall, there was a significant improvement from pre- (4.92 ± 2.41) to post-course scores (6.77 ± 1.46), p < 0.001 and at both Copenhagen (5.92 ± 2.25 to 7.36 ± 1.25) and Toronto (3.14 ± 1.51 to 5.71 ± 1.20); p = 0.005 and p = 0.002, respectively. Participants with no prostate MRI experience showed the greatest improvement (3.77 ± 1.97 to 6.18 ± 1.5, p < 0.001), followed by intermediate level (< 500 MRIs reported) experience (6.18 ± 1.99 to 7.46 ± 1.13, p = 0.058), then advanced (> 500 MRIs reported) experience (6.83 ± 2.48 to 7.67 ± 0.82, p = 0.339).
Conclusions: A dedicated prostate MRI teaching course combining didactic lectures and hands-on workshops significantly improved short-term theoretical knowledge of the technique for clinicians with differing levels of experience.
Critical relevance statement: A dedicated teaching course significantly improved theoretical knowledge of the technique particularly for clinicians with less reporting experience and a lower baseline knowledge. The multiple-choice questions format mapped improved performance and may be considered as part of future MRI certification initiatives.
Key points: • Prostate MRI knowledge is important for image interpretation and optimizing acquisition sequences. • A dedicated teaching course significantly improved theoretical knowledge of the technique. • Improved performance was more apparent in clinicians with less reporting experience and a lower baseline knowledge.
Keywords: Learning curve; Magnetic resonance imaging; Prostatic neoplasms; Urogenital neoplasms.
© 2024. The Author(s).