Enhancing Radiology Education through Interactive Web-based Learning: A Single-Center Initiative at UCLA

Purpose: Breast imaging education is continually evolving, necessitating innovative methods as the traditional didactic approach to resident and medical student education often falls short in providing comprehensive, case-based, and interactive learning experiences.

Recognizing the need for a centralized and accessible platform, UCLA Breast Radiology created a dedicated page for Breast Imaging education with a wide variety of articles written by residents paired with fellowship-trained faculty. The targeted audience includes medical students, radiologists in training, and practicing radiologists. However the information is made available to all, and content can be used as material for patient education.

Methods/Materials: A dedicated website was established with a website developer who provided coding and uploading website content. Two breast imaging faculty oversee the entire initiative. A medical student manages logistics, and briefs radiology residents on the initiative at the start of each resident’s rotation, facilitating their pairing with fellowship-trained faculty for guidance during article drafting and digital sketches. Each resident selects a topic from a comprehensive list. Articles must have HIPPA compliant images and/or illustrative visuals to enhance comprehension. The finalized article, paired with an illustrative quiz question, is then published on the website. These articles are organized under six major sections: Screening Mammograms, Pathology, BIRADS terminology, Diagnostic workup strategies, Interesting cases, and additional resources including national guidelines.

Results: This mentorship-based program provides residents with constructive feedback and further knowledge in breast imaging. The content of the articles and the use of images and/or illustrations serve as valuable teaching resources. The website saw substantial traffic often appearing first in search engines, indicating its utility.

Conclusions: This model leverages technology and mentorship in enhancing clinical radiology education for residents, medical students, and the broader medical community while serving as a free and valuable reference for patient education.