Computer-assisted instruction of carpal bone radiograph interpretation

This paper describes the development of a computer-assisted self-directed learning module to teach carpal bone radiograph interpretation to clinical clerks, and the evaluation of its efficacy as a teaching tool. The module was developed using commercially available authoring software and in collaboration with radiologists. Following an eight-month period where the module was a mandatory component of the clerkship rotation in emergency medicine, a convenience sample of 36 volunteers from various levels of medical training were recruited, and their ability to interpret carpal radiographs was tested in an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). The scores of the clinical clerks who had completed the module were shown to be similar to the scores of emergency medicine residents with specific experience and training in this skill (mean: 5 vs. 6), and different from the scores of trainees who had not completed the module and had no specific training in this skill (mean: 5 vs. 2). This study suggests that our module may be an effective tool in teaching this skill to clinical clerks.