Radiology Undergraduate Medical Education: A Scoping Review

This project is a scoping review that aims to systematically map the extent, nature, and characteristics of the existing literature on undergraduate radiology education within medical school curricula internationally. Radiology is central to modern clinical decision-making, yet undergraduate exposure to radiology teaching remains highly variable across institutions, and the evidence base informing how radiology should be taught, what competencies should be prioritised, and how educational outcomes are evaluated is fragmented and heterogeneous. The primary purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of how radiology education is currently delivered at the undergraduate level, including the types of educational interventions employed, the competencies targeted, and the outcome measures used to evaluate their effectiveness. The review will encompass a broad range of study designs, including curriculum evaluations, educational interventions, surveys, qualitative studies, and mixed-methods research, reflecting the diversity of methodologies used in medical education research. A scoping review methodology was selected a priori because preliminary examination of the literature demonstrates substantial heterogeneity in study design, educational settings, teaching modalities, and outcome measures, which precludes meaningful quantitative synthesis or meta-analysis. The review is conducted in accordance with established methodological frameworks for scoping reviews (Arksey and O’Malley, refined by Levac et al., and Joanna Briggs Institute guidance) and is reported in line with PRISMA-ScR standards. Specifically, this review seeks to address the following objectives: • To identify and categorise undergraduate radiology educational interventions, curricula, and teaching approaches described in the literature. • To describe how these educational activities are designed and delivered, including format, duration, setting, faculty involvement, and resource requirements. • To map the radiology-related competencies targeted by undergraduate teaching, including diagnostic imaging, interventional radiology awareness, imaging appropriateness and safety, radiology workflow integration, emerging AI literacy, and communication of imaging findings. • To examine how educational outcomes are measured and evaluated, classifying outcomes using established educational frameworks (Kirkpatrick’s model and Miller’s pyramid of clinical competence). • To identify gaps, inconsistencies, and under-represented domains within the current evidence base to inform future research priorities and curriculum development. Data will be synthesised using descriptive statistics and narrative thematic analysis. Educational interventions will be mapped against competency domains aligned with European Society of Radiology (ESR) and Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) undergraduate curricula, and outcome measures will be analysed according to their level of educational impact. While study quality will not be used as an exclusion criterion, methodological characteristics and quality indicators will be reported to contextualise findings. The expected outcomes of this project include: • A structured taxonomy of undergraduate radiology teaching approaches. • A mapping of radiology competencies against educational outcome levels. • Identification of areas where undergraduate radiology education is well established versus areas where evidence is sparse or absent. • Clear identification of methodological and conceptual gaps to guide future educational research and curriculum design. Ultimately, this review aims to support evidence-informed undergraduate radiology curriculum development, inform educators and professional bodies, and provide a foundation for future evaluative and interventional studies in radiology education.