Standards for the education, training and preceptorship of reporting practitioners in adult chest X-ray

Clinical imaging services play a pivotal role in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of various disease processes and injuries. Patients are referred to imaging services for assistance in both diagnosis and deciding on the best subsequent management of a patient’s condition. Imaging services are therefore vital for the delivery of effective health and social care. Chest radiographs are a high-volume test, with nearly 7 million performed annually in England. Patients who have a chest X-ray (CXR) performed require accurate and timely results.

The value and benefits of effective team working to deliver clinical imaging services are well known. The 2020 Diagnostics: Recovery and Renewal report sets out the principles and arrangements for providing high-quality patient care within multi-professional teams. The current document defines the education and training required for all members of the multi-professional team who report CXRs within a clinical imaging service. It is expected that other CXR reporters operating outside of a clinical imaging service should follow the same standards for education and training to ensure that they are trained to the same level of overall competence. Any practitioner who is reporting an adult CXR formally should fulfil the criteria in this document.