Standards for the education, training and preceptorship of reporting practitioners in adult chest X-ray launched

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Standards for the education, training and preceptorship of reporting practitioners in adult chest X-ray publication. Clinical imaging services play a pivotal role in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of various disease processes and injuries. Patients are referred to imaging services for assistance in both diagnosis and deciding on the best subsequent management of a patient’s condition. Imaging services are therefore vital for the delivery of effective health and social care.

Chest radiographs are a high-volume test, with nearly 7 million performed annually in England. Patients who have a chest X-ray (CXR) performed require accurate and timely results.

This joint publication from The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) and the The Society and College of Radiographers (SoR | CoR) defines the education and training required for all members of the multiprofessional team who report CXRs within a clinical imaging service. It is expected that other CXR reporters operating outside of a clinical imaging service should follow the same standards for education and training to ensure that they are trained to the same level of overall competence. Any practitioner who is reporting an adult CXR formally should fulfil the criteria in this document.

We would like to thank Health Education England (HEE), now part of NHS England, for their financial support and recognition of this important four-nation work, along with representatives from the RCR, SoR | CoR, British Society of Thoracic Imaging and the British Society of Cardiovascular Imaging for their involvement in this project.