Radiologists are spending less time teaching trainees due to increased workloads, a recent study found.
The study, published Oct. 22 in Journal of the American College of Radiology, used Medicare claims to track the work of nearly 35,600 radiologists.
"Increasing volume has been a challenge in radiology departments, which provided impetus for this study," Judah Burns, MD, radiologist and vice chair of radiology education at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, said in an Oct. 21 news release. "Anecdotally, the burgeoning workload appears to be a barrier for radiologists to engage in training residents, but no studies have evaluated these teaching trends with objective evidence. Our national study shows a 19% drop-in rate of cases read with a trainee among teaching radiologists, representing a significant and meaningful decrease."
Here are five findings:
- The percentage of all radiologists involved in resident teaching increased from 13.6% in 2008 to 20.4% in 2020.
- Total clinical workload involving resident training fell from 35.3% in 2008 to 26.3% in 2019.
- Teaching radiologists' total workload increased by 7%, but their teaching workload decreased 19% between 2008 and 2019.
- Radiologists' aggregate workload increased 80% between 2008 and 2019.
- The decline in trainee participation was evident across the spectrum of radiologists and practice character. The change could be due to academic radiologists' workloads increasing by incorporating independent interpretation, the study said.