CHSJ

Curr Health Sci J, vol. 52, no. 3, 2026

Structured MRI Reporting as an In-Workflow Educational Tool for Rectal Cancer Staging During Radiology Residency: An Exploratory Pilot Study

[Original Paper]

M.A. ENE(1), L.M. FLORESCU(2), A.G. NASCU(3), C.M. CIOFIAC(2), R.V. TEICA(2), I.A. CIRLIG(1), A.S. DOMENCO(1), I.A. GHEONEA(2)


(1)Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova;
(2)Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova;
(3)Department of Informatics, University of Craiova


Abstract:

Objectives: This exploratory pilot study assessed whether structured reporting (SR) could improve primary rectal cancer MRI reports among radiology residents in a low-exposure training setting. Methods: A pre-study survey was administered to 56 residents at a single training center; 45 responded (80.4%), and only five reported more than 15 prior rectal cancer MRI cases. Twelve residents were stratified by prior exposure and randomized into two balanced groups. In Phase A, Group 1 reported three cases using free text (FT), while Group 2 used an SR template. Afterward, Group 1 attended a focused mini-course, whereas Group 2 received individualized case-based feedback. In Phase B, both groups reported three new cases using SR. For each case, 15 descriptors were classified as omitted, incorrect, or correct. Results: In Phase A, SR was associated with fewer omissions than FT reporting (5.6% vs. 24.4%; p=0.004). Correctness was descriptively higher with SR (65.6% vs. 47.8%; p=0.108), while error rate was also higher (30.0% vs. 22.2%; p=0.044). In Phase B, no significant between-group differences were observed. In Group 1, switching from FT to SR reduced omissions (24.4% to 0.0%; p=0.031). Conclusions: SR was associated with immediate improvements in report completeness among radiology residents. Its educational value may derive from converting unreported descriptors into explicit interpretative attempts, creating opportunities for targeted feedback, and serving as an educational scaffold. Larger multicenter studies with delayed follow-up are needed to confirm these findings and assess long-term learning effects.


Keywords: Structured reporting, rectal cancer, magnetic resonance imaging, radiology residency, medical education, pilot study



Corresponding: Lucian-Mihai Florescu, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, e-mail: lucian.florescu@umfcv.ro


DOI 10.12865/CHSJ.52.03.05 - Download PDF
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