Potts B, White H P
Diagnostic Imaging, College of Health and Care Professions, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK.
Diagnostic Imaging, College of Health and Care Professions, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/HelenPWhiteBCU.
Radiography (Lond). 2024 Dec;30 Suppl 2:34-41. doi: 10.1016/j.radi.2024.09.055. Epub 2024 Oct 3.
Healthcare services can be inaccessible to autistic people without adaptions to clinical practice and the care provided. Therefore, understanding how radiographer education develops students' confidence in adapting care for autistic patients is crucial. This study aimed to explore how placement experience impacts student radiographer confidence in adapting care for autistic patients.
UK final-year student diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers were invited to complete a qualitative online survey. The survey asked for a description of placement experiences; of observing and/or performing the care of autistic patients and how this impacted confidence in caring for autistic patients. The data was thematically analysed.
43 responses (of 44 received) were included, from which 5 themes emerged. Those who felt placement experiences developed confidence described opportunities to apply theory learnt at university (theme 1) or drew attention to the benefit of prior (external) experience with autistic people (theme 3). However, the balance of power with the supervising radiographer (theme 2), witnessing autistic patients in distress (theme 4), and the heterogeneous nature of autism (theme 5) disrupted students' development of confidence.
Several participants in this study found clinical placement developed confidence with autistic patients through applying knowledge and providing an opportunity for reflexive learning. However, various obstacles hindered this development, such as witnessing distressed patients, limited experiences with autistic patients and difficulty navigating relationships with radiographers.
To improve student radiographers' confidence of providing care for autistic patients, educators should consider methods, e.g., co-produced simulation, to fill potential gaps in their experience. There is also a pressing need for all radiographers to understand their responsibility in educating students and their impact on student wellbeing.
如果不调整临床实践和所提供的护理，自闭症患者可能无法获得医疗服务。因此，了解放射技师教育如何培养学生为自闭症患者调整护理的信心至关重要。本研究旨在探讨实习经历如何影响放射学专业学生为自闭症患者调整护理的信心。
邀请英国诊断和治疗放射学专业的最后一年学生完成一项定性在线调查。该调查要求描述实习经历；观察和/或为自闭症患者提供护理的情况，以及这如何影响为自闭症患者提供护理的信心。对数据进行了主题分析。
纳入了44份回复中的43份，从中出现了5个主题。那些认为实习经历增强了信心的人描述了在大学所学理论的应用机会（主题1），或指出了之前（外部）与自闭症患者接触的益处（主题3）。然而，与指导放射技师的权力平衡（主题2）、目睹自闭症患者痛苦（主题4）以及自闭症的异质性（主题5）破坏了学生信心的发展。
本研究中的几位参与者发现临床实习通过应用知识和提供反思性学习的机会，增强了对自闭症患者护理的信心。然而，各种障碍阻碍了这种发展，例如目睹痛苦的患者、与自闭症患者接触的经验有限以及与放射技师建立关系的困难。
为了提高放射学专业学生为自闭症患者提供护理的信心，教育工作者应考虑采用例如共同制作模拟等方法来填补他们经验中的潜在空白。所有放射技师也迫切需要了解他们在教育学生方面的责任以及他们对学生福祉的影响。
