Simulated daily readout for maintaining nuclear medicine education in residency training amidst declining case volume: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic

Background Simulated daily readout (SDR) is a teaching initiative in radiology and nuclear medicine developed to simulate a resident's experience during periods of case volume reduction. SDR was employed by many training centers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate the perception of radiology residents on the effectiveness of SDR. Method The SDR was conducted in the nuclear medicine rotations from 2019 to 2020 during the shutdown of the radionuclide imaging facilities using a combination of strategies including case selection, assignment, reporting and feedback. A brief 8-item questionnaire with Likert scale values was completed by radiology residents who participated in the SDR-based nuclear medicine rotations. Results Thirty-five of 54 residents returned the questionnaire. The majority of residents affirmed the negative impact of the reduction in case volume on their training experiences and perceived that SDR could alleviate the effects. The SDR strategies perceived as more effective were targeted case selection, in-advanced assignment, verbal interpretation and reporting, and verbal feedback. Conclusion The radiology residents perceived the SDR as an effective tool to preserve their training experiences. The SDR has the potential to be a useful initiative when teaching centers face the threat of declining case volume.