2024, Vol. 11, Issue 3, Part F

Introduction: The need of this study was initially due to increased demand of physiotherapy student to interpret X-rays during the postings, even though the capacity of education received about X-ray interpretation skills does not correlate with the high demand. For example, students encounter X-ray during their posting in either cardiorespiratory or musculoskeletal with no previous experience.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the ability of final-year physiotherapy students in interpreting X-ray images in Malaysia.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 150 final-year physiotherapy students from three different Malaysian universities. Participants were presented with a questionnaire containing cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal related radiographic interpretation.

Results: Out of 73 participants, 59% were categorized as "not able to interpret," indicating a poor ability to interpret X-ray images. Musculoskeletal conditions were more accurately interpreted (61%) compared to cardiorespiratory conditions (39%). Notably, common pathologies such as COPD were missed by 70% of students. Students with respiratory placement experience or a keen interest in cardiorespiratory careers showed slightly higher scores in cardiorespiratory X-ray interpretation, though not statistically significant. Similarly, students with an interest in musculoskeletal specialties scored slightly higher in musculoskeletal X-ray interpretation (8% higher) than their peers without such interest.

Conclusion: This study reveals a significant gap in the ability of final-year physiotherapy students in Malaysia to interpret X-ray images. Despite some variations based on clinical interest, overall proficiency remains low. These findings underscore the need for comprehensive radiology training and curriculum enhancements in physiotherapy education to ensure graduates possess the necessary skills for accurate X-ray interpretation in their clinical practice.