Creating teaching files

Teaching files are useful in the education of diagnostic radiologists. In the course of professional training, radiologists must master a large knowledge base of pictures and develop a method to assess any new, unknown case against that body of information. Imagingbased medical specialties have been traditionally under the purview of diagnostic radiology. However, the practice of diagnostic radiology also includes skilful acquisition of images, such as performing angiography and barium studies, procedures such as diagnostic biopsy or therapeutic interventions guided by imaging. Radiologists also participate in clinical consultation ranging from informal “kerbside” chats with referring physicians to formal multidisciplinary team therapy planning conferences. The bulk of the radiologist’s work however, is based upon the interpretation of images. This article will only deal with teaching files and diagnostic interpretation skills, and not address the other (far more interesting but less defined) skills, nor will it discuss imaging research. [1] Traditionally, teaching radiology has relied heavily on exposure to the wide range of abnormal cases of different diseases that are available during the course of on-job-training rotations through teaching hospitals. Unfortunately, these abnormal cases are usually hidden among an equally large number of normal studies. Faceto-face teaching, using these abnormal images, usually conveys significant information on interpreting the subtle differences between normal and abnormal, normal mimics of disease, and differentiating different diseases. Most of these mimics have important consequences for treatment and prognosis. These “tips and tricks” tutorialstyle encounters are usually part of a larger educational curriculum where formal teaching/lectures are structured around the twin pillars of imaging technique and biology. However, as in all other human activity, “face time” is limited, and access to teachers is limited by their other duties in administration and research, and there may be few opportunities to discuss interesting cases that illustrate a useful point. One important means to make up for this deficit is case-based teaching files.