Diagnostic Radiology Physics —
Training activity: 4

Details

Assist with equipment performance testing on a range of diagnostic radiology equipment, and analyse and report results to clinical users, including:

• Dental imaging
• Mammography
• Hybrid imaging

Type

Developmental training activity (DTA)

Evidence requirements

Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee​.

Reflection on the activity at one or more time points after the event including learning from the activity and/or areas of the trainees practice for development.

An action plan to implement learning and/or to address skills or knowledge gaps identified.

Reflective practice guidance

The guidance below is provided to support reflection at different time points, providing you with questions to aid you to reflect for this training activity. They are provided for guidance and should not be considered as a mandatory checklist. Trainees should not be expected to provide answers to each of the guidance questions listed.

Before action

What are the intended outcomes of the training activity?

• How will reviewing the relevant learning outcomes help you focus on the technical and clinical requirements for assessing specialised x-ray equipment?
• In what ways will this activity develop your ability to assist with performance testing and commissioning on diverse modalities, such as the specific requirements for the breast screening programme or complex hybrid systems?
• How will you ensure you can effectively analyse test results and contribute to reporting findings to clinical users in a way that is actionable and supports patient safety?
• What do you need to know about the scientific basis of analytical procedures for dental, mammography, and hybrid technologies—including reconstruction methods and geometry—before embarking on the activity?
• How will this activity prepare you to identify modality-specific image artefacts and formulate recommendations for their rectification to ensure diagnostic quality is maintained?

What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?

• What specific insights do you hope to gain regarding the QA procedures and operation principles for mammography (e.g., breast tomography), dental imaging, and hybrid technologies?
• How do you anticipate this experience will improve your understanding of the interdisciplinary teamwork required for hybrid imaging, particularly in collaborating with various medical physics and clinical colleagues?
• What do you expect to learn about the clinical applications and safety requirements unique to these specialised modalities compared to general x-ray systems?
• In what ways do you anticipate this experience will prepare you for the high-level interpretive and reporting responsibilities required for your future role as a Clinical Scientist?

What actions will you take in preparation for the experience?

• How will you discuss your specific role in assisting with these procedures with your Training Officer to ensure you understand the level of supervision and the equipment involved?
• Which national guidelines, local protocols, and work instructions—such as those for the national breast screening programme—will you review to ensure your assistance is evidence-based?
• What steps will you take to familiarise yourself with the basic principles and critical parameters of these advanced imaging systems, such as spatial resolution and noise Power spectrum?
• How will you prepare for potential technical or interpretive challenges, such as reconciling complex data from hybrid platforms or troubleshooting mammography QA fails?
• What are your feelings about assisting with complex technical procedures on specialised equipment where findings have significant implications for patient pathways, such as in cancer screening?
• How might acknowledging feelings of uncertainty or curiosity regarding advanced hybrid technologies help you focus your preparation on areas requiring the most support?
• How do you feel about the responsibility of communicating technical findings to a multidisciplinary team of clinical users?

In action

What are you doing?

• As you assist with performance testing on Dental, Mammography, or Hybrid imaging systems, what specific tasks are you currently performing to contribute to the overall quality assurance (QA) process?
• How are you utilizing specialised measurement devices and ensuring their correct operation to capture accurate data on parameters like spatial resolution and noise?
• What decisions are you making regarding the real-time collection of data to ensure you can effectively appraise the equipment?
• While reviewing test images, what specific visual cues are you using to identify image artefacts in Tomography or Hybrid datasets?
• Which parts of the procedure—such as assessing dental geometry—feel intuitive, and which require more conscious attention to the specific requirements of the Breast Screening Programme?

How are you progressing with the activity?

• Are the performance tests on the hybrid or mammography units proceeding as expected, or are you encountering unexpected readings that require immediate investigation?
• What challenges are you facing in interpreting results against national recommendations or local tolerances for these specialised modalities?
• What are you learning about the interdisciplinary teamwork required to ensure safe practice in hybrid imaging as the situation unfolds?
• How does the performance data you are currently gathering—such as contrast degradation or Noise Power Spectrum—connect to your existing knowledge of x-ray imaging technology?
• Are you effectively understanding the steps involved in the commissioning or QA procedures for these complex systems as you observe the person you are assisting?

How are you adapting to the situation?

• Are there alternative testing approaches you should consider if you encounter difficulties in resolving a borderline result on a complex hybrid platform?
• What support or guidance do you find yourself needing from your supervisor or a senior physicist to resolve uncertainties in specialised test procedures?
• How are you adapting your real-time analysis of an artefact to ensure your recommendations for rectification remain practical and achievable for clinical users?
• How are you ensuring that your contributions remain strictly within your defined scope of practice while assisting with these high-stakes clinical investigations?
• Do you need to adjust your communication style in the moment to better understand the clinical needs of the radiographers or radiologists you are reporting to?

On action

What did you notice?

• How would you summarise the key procedural elements and steps you took while assisting with the quality assurance (QA) or commissioning for dental, mammography, and hybrid imaging systems?
• What were the notable observations or data patterns you focused on when evaluating modality-specific parameters, such as spatial resolution, noise (SNR), or contrast degradation?
• How did the results of the performance tests compare to national recommendations and local tolerances, particularly regarding the specific requirements of the Breast Screening Programme for mammography or national standards for dental imaging?
• What did you notice about the interdisciplinary teamwork required during the assessment of hybrid imaging, and how did this influence the way technical findings were reported to clinical users?
• Were there any unexpected technical challenges—such as data reconciliation issues between hybrid modalities or identifying complex artefacts in breast tomography—and how did you identify and manage them?

What did you learn from the activity?

• What new knowledge did you develop regarding performing and appraising QA across diverse modalities and identifying image artefacts and recommending rectification?
• How has this experience improved your understanding of the scientific basis of analytical procedures for advanced systems, such as reconstruction methods in hybrid imaging or the geometry of breast tomography?
• In what ways did your reflection-in-action—the real-time decisions you made while assisting with complex tests—influence the final accuracy of the results provided to clinical users?
• What did you learn about the practical limitations of the equipment or the measurement software (e.g., Noise Power Spectrum analysis) used for specialised dental or mammography QA?
• How does the ability to assist with and appraise these specialised investigations relate to the high-level interpretive and professional responsibilities of your future role as a Clinical Scientist?

What will you take from the experience moving forward?

• What specific areas for continued development have you identified, such as a need to better understand advanced image quality metrics or specific safety requirements for hybrid imaging?
• How can you apply the learning from this activity to your routine practice, particularly when tasked with monitoring specialised equipment or providing advice on rectifying common artefacts?
• What specific ‘next steps’ will you now take—such as reviewing the latest national guidance for dental radiography or attending an MDT meeting—to support the assimilation of what you have learned?
• What support or resources, such as specialist mentoring from a senior physicist or access to advanced troubleshooting work instructions, would be beneficial for your ongoing development?
• How has your learning from this activity directly supported your preparation for observed assessments, such as the DOPS for image quality tests or the Observed Clinical Event (OCE) for identifying and discussing the rectification of artefacts?

Beyond action

Have you revisited the experiences?

• Since assisting with performance testing on dental, mammography, and hybrid imaging systems, have you had opportunities to observe or participate in these activities again, and how has your understanding of appraising quality assurance deepened as a result?
• Reflect on the complexities of identifying image artefacts; have you compared your initial identification of artefacts in mammography (e.g., breast tomography) or hybrid datasets with more recent learning or national guidelines?
• Revisit the analysis and reports you generated for these modalities; how does your current technical logic and understanding of dental geometry or reconstruction methods compare to when you first engaged in this activity?
• Have you engaged in professional storytelling with peers or medical physics colleagues regarding the teamwork required for safe practice in hybrid or radiotherapy imaging, and has this changed your view of the situation?
• As part of a holistic review of the Diagnostic Radiology Physics module, what observable behaviours—such as systematic troubleshooting or specialist reporting—have you now successfully assimilated into your own practice?

How have these experiences impacted upon your current practice?

• How has assisting with performance testing in these complex and specialised areas enhanced your appreciation of interdisciplinary teamwork required to ensure equipment safety?
• How have the reporting skills you developed—specifically communicating technical results for mammography or dental units to clinical users—been transferable to other tasks, such as presenting audit data or explaining QA findings?
• In what ways did this experience support your preparation for observed ‘in-person’ assessments, such as the Observed Clinical Event (OCE): ‘Identify artefacts in an image and discuss how to rectify’ or the DOPS for image quality tests?
• Are you now more consistently performing and verifying quality assurance and control tasks across all platforms to ensure the integrity of your integrated reports?
• How has your improved ability to identify modality-specific image artefacts influenced your daily troubleshooting of image quality issues across the department?

How might these experiences contribute towards your future practice?

• Which transferable skills developed through this activity—such as the critical evaluation of multi-parameter datasets, technical competence, and professional communication—will be most essential in your future role as a Clinical Scientist?
• What clear actions for continued development have you identified, such as mastering the implementation of new technologies within the national breast screening programme or emerging hybrid imaging markers?
• How will your ability to identify image artefacts and provide problem-solving recommendations be crucial for maintaining high-quality imaging and ensuring patient safety in your future specialist role?
• What resources or specialist mentoring will you seek to further develop your expertise in commissioning and appraising advanced diagnostic radiology modalities?

Relevant learning outcomes

#	Outcome
# 2	Outcome Perform and appraise quality assurance on equipment across a range of diagnostic radiology modalities.
# 3	Outcome Identify common image artefacts and make recommendations for rectification.