# The Competency of Emergency Medicine Residents in Interpreting Hand X-rays Across the Three Major Regions of Saudi Arabia

## TL;DR

This study assesses how well emergency medicine residents in Saudi Arabia can interpret hand X-rays, finding that senior residents and those using desktops perform better.

## Contribution

The study evaluates competency in hand X-ray interpretation among emergency medicine residents across three Saudi regions, identifying factors like training level and device type that influence performance.

## Key findings

- Senior residents (R3 and R4) showed higher competency in interpreting hand X-rays.
- Residents aged 28 to 30 years performed better than younger residents.
- Using desktops for image viewing was associated with higher assessment scores.

## Abstract

Background

Interpreting hand X-rays is crucial for emergency medicine residents to accurately diagnose traumatic injuries and conditions affecting the hand. This study aimed to assess the competency of emergency medicine residents in interpreting hand X-rays across three major regions in Saudi Arabia.

Methodology

We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 100 emergency medicine residents from the Central, Eastern, and Western regions of Saudi Arabia. Participants were presented with 10 clinical case scenarios each accompanied by hand X-rays and were asked to provide their interpretations. Assessment scores were calculated based on the proportion of correct answers for each case.

Results

Half of the participants (50 residents) fell within the age range of 25 to 27 years, with 61 male and 39 female participants, respectively. Residents in the third year of training (R3) exhibited the highest mean score of 74.83% ± 20.46%. Participants using desktops to view the images achieved the highest mean score of 75% ± 10.49% compared to those using smartphones or tablets. Significant associations were found between age (F = 4.072, p = 0.020), training level (F = 3.161, p = 0.028), and choice of viewing device (F = 7.811, p = 0.001) and assessment scores.

Conclusions

Our study highlighted that emergency medicine residents in Saudi Arabia demonstrate competent proficiency in interpreting hand X-rays, with higher competency observed among senior residents (R3 and R4), those aged 28 to 30 years, and those using desktops for image viewing.