Search pattern training for evaluation of central venous catheter positioning on chest radiographs

The goal of this research was to examine whether search pattern training for central line positioning on chest radiographs (CXRs) improves the ability of healthcare trainees and practitioners to identify malpositioned central venous catheters. Two sets of CXRs with central catheters were shown; half of the images contained catheters that were appropriately positioned, half that were malpositioned. Subjects were asked to: mark the tip of the catheter using the simulated radiology workstations, indicate their confidence in tip localization, and state whether the catheter was appropriately positioned or malpositioned. Subjects were also given a survey assessing their thoughts about the usefulness of search pattern training and the simulated radiology workstation. There was a significant improvement in subjects' ability to classify a catheter as malpositioned after training, p-value = 0.03. There was no significant difference in localization of the catheter tips or in the confidence for tip localization. Subjects' responses to the questionnaire were significantly positive for all statements, indicating that they felt search pattern training using a simulated radiology workstation had a positive impact on their education. These results suggest that our knowledge of medical image perception may be useful for developing rational educational tools for image interpretation, and that simulated radiology workstations may be a helpful means of deploying these tools.