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Methods

A randomized controlled experimental study involving 31 first-year radiology technology students was performed. It was organized in 4 phases as follows:(I) randomization to control or experimental group based on the results of an anatomy examination;(II) proficiency testing before training;(III) intervention (control group, exposure and analysis of radiographic images of the cervical spine of a manikin; experimental group, exposure and analysis of the cervical spine images in the virtual radiography simulator); and (IV) proficiency testing after training.

Results

The experimental group showed significantly higher scores after training compared with those before training (P< 0.01). A linear mixed-effect analysis revealed a significant difference between the control and experimental groups regarding proficiency change (P= 0.01).

Conclusions

Virtual radiographic simulation is an effective tool for learning image …