Measuring Adaptive Expertise in Radiology Residents: A Multicenter Study

Introduction: Adaptive expertise is the ability of individuals to create innovative solutions when they come across novel problems or workplace challenges. Clinicians are often adept at handling routine clinical procedures but lack confidence and a proper strategy when previously un-encountered situations arise. Lots of research has been conducted on basic concepts and development of adaptive expertise however major chunk of literature belongs to non- medical fields. Little is studied about assessment of adaptive expertise in medical professionals and postgraduate residents.Objective: To measure adaptive expertise (AE) of radiology residents and to assess any association between the AE of postgraduate radiology residents (PGR) and their years of training.Methods: This multicenter correlational study involved 181 radiology residents from nine major teaching hospital of Lahore,Pakistan from May to October 2019. Katerina Bohle Carbonell Adaptive Expertise Inventory was used as a data collection tool. The questionnaire contained a total of eleven items encompassing two dimensions of AE: domain-specific and innovative skills. Total scores representing AE of PGRs were measured. AE scores and years of training were correlated using Spearman rho correlation. One-way ANOVA was conducted to further evaluate the association between AE and years of postgraduate training.Results: Out of 181 residents there were 78 (43.1%) males and 103 (56.9%) females. Most of them, 97 (53.6%) were enrolled in four years fellowship (FCPS) program and 62 (34.3%) were in the first year of their residency. Total AE scores of all radiology residents ranged from 33 to 54. AE scores and years of residency were positively correlated (rs= 0.4, p < 0.01). One-way ANOVA and Post hoc comparisons using Tukey HSD test further revealed significant pairwise differences between mean scores of residents’ groups (p = < 0.05) rejecting the null hypothesis.Conclusion: Overall, this study concludes that residents acquire adaptive expertise perpetually with progression in their training. KEYWORDS: Adaptive Expertise (AE), Radiology, Postgraduate Residents (PGRs)