Impact of COVID-19 on Radiography Education and Practice
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic forced rapid adaptation across radiography education and clinical practice. Educational programmes shifted en masse to online platforms, employing digital lectures, virtual case libraries and simulation to uphold theoretical instruction when campus access was restricted. Clinical placements for students were curtailed or restructured with stringent infection-control protocols, leading to reduced hands-on exposure and heightened reliance on supervised remote learning. Practising radiographers saw altered workflows, including redeployment to critical care areas, reorganisation of imaging services and rigorous use of personal protective equipment. These disruptions accelerated the development of hybrid models that blend in-person skill labs with e-learning, fostered new approaches to assessment and reinforced the importance of psychological support and interprofessional communication. Globally, institutions have begun to embed these innovations permanently, ensuring resilience in training pathways and continuity of safe, high-quality imaging services.
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Impact of COVID-19 on Radiography Education and Practice publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in impact of covid-19 on radiography education and practice across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Continuing professional development (CPD): Structured learning activities for maintaining and enhancing professional competencies throughout a career.
Electronic learning materials (ELM): Digital resources such as webinars, virtual case libraries and interactive modules used to support remote education.
Redeployment: Temporary reassignment of radiography staff to different roles or departments in response to shifting healthcare demands.
Hybrid education models: Blended learning approaches combining in-person practical training with online theoretical instruction to deliver comprehensive curricula.
References
- Evolution of continuing medical education in radiology: on-site vs remote. Insights into Imaging (2024).
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on radiography practice: findings from a UK radiography workforce survey. BJR|Open (2020).
- The experience of diagnostic radiography students during the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic – a cross‐sectional study. Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences (2021).
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