Assessing Interventional Radiology Specialty Knowledge and Perception Amongst Tanzanian Medical Students Before and After Exposure to an Immersive Curriculum

Aim This study aims to assess the impact that delivering an introductory IR lecture series has on the knowledge and perception of the specialty among medical students in a resource-limited setting with, until recently, no IR presence. Materials and Methods An introductory four-hour lecture series in IR was delivered to third year medical students in Tanzania. Prior to and following the lecture series, participants completed a 27-item paper-based survey assessing their knowledge and perception of the specialty. Results Out of a class of 213, the pre- and post-lecture survey was returned by 148 (69.5%) and 151 (70.9%) respondents, respectively. 94.5% of respondents indicated that they were aware of IR as a specialty. Among respondents, 97.3% expressed interest in having IR lectures integrated in their curriculum, compared to 29.0% that reported having any prior IR training. 27.3% believed their knowledge in IR compared to other specialties was either “good” or “excellent”, which improved to 43.3% (p<0.001). Identification that IR physicians consult patients directly, have outpatient clinics, have inpatients beds, and do rounds improved from 55.4% to 81.1% (p<0.001), 49.7% to 60.3% (p=0.066), 48.3% to 66.7% (p=0.001), and 52.0% to 66.2% (p=0.013), respectively. Conclusions By introducing short lectures on IR-relevant topics, knowledge and perception of IR improved among Tanzanian medical students. Early education and exposure to IR should be prioritized to promote continued growth of the specialty in this setting.