Deliver structured CT centring training and integrate automated positioning technology with retained professional expertise¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 5 claims (4 for, 1 mixed) · 1 study (1 associational), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article recommends structured training programmes and broader adoption of automated positioning technology to address persistent knowledge gaps and practice variability in CT patient centring. Respondents themselves reported that centring is "seldom covered in training" and requested accessible reference resources, while valuing automation's time savings but cautioning that "technology shouldn't replace professional expertise." The authors also propose future research quantifying the educational gap through pre- and post-intervention studies and evaluating simulation-based centring training.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Training should address localiser direction, ATCM behaviour and CT number variability, the areas where the survey found persistent knowledge gaps.

Constraints¶

• The article notes automation concerns raised by respondents: accuracy in head and obese patients, incompatibility with immobilisation devices, limited lateral correction, vendor-dependent features, and potential reduction of deliberate attention to positioning.

Target Learners¶

• Practising diagnostic radiographers performing CT examinations, particularly early-career and lower-volume practitioners

Target Learning Goals¶

• Understanding how localiser radiograph direction and patient centring affect radiation dose and ATCM behaviour
• Understanding how positioning affects CT number (HU) accuracy
• Accurate patient centring technique, including cardiac CT isocentre alignment

Claims¶

• Radiographers show substantial uncertainty about how localiser radiograph direction affects radiation dose and ATCM behaviour [~W]
• Mean CT centring knowledge score indicates only moderate proficiency, with greater score variability among less experienced and lower-volume radiographers [+W]
• Routine post-acquisition verification of HU values is uncommon and knowledge of positioning effects on CT numbers is inconsistent [+W]
• Vertical off-centring below the gantry isocentre is the most frequently reported CT positioning error among radiographers [+W]
• Access to and consistent use of automated centring technology remain limited among CT radiographers [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Simulation Based Medical Training

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Hadi Yasser H., Bani‐Ahmad Mo'men, Moore Niamh, Clark Kevin R., Al‐Hayek Yazan, Albeshan Salman M., Alghamdi Sultan B., Precht Helle, England Andrew, McEntee Mark. (2026). Patient Centring in CT: An International Survey of Clinical Practice and Future Directions. Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmrs.70119