Utilising eye-tracking to train radiography students to focus on the correct elements during x-ray image analysis

Abstract

Eye-tracking technology is used in medical imaging to study radiographers’ recognition tasks and visual searches. Eye-tracking technology helps radiographers analyse chest X-ray images by comparing gaze behaviour of experts and novices, assessing their abilities in analysing these frequently conducted examinations. This study aims to utilise eye-tracking technology to train radiography students to correctly analyse chest X-ray images. Additionally, the study’s objective is to reveal the students’ habits and trends during analysis. To ensure that the best stimuli were selected for the study, a pilot study was conducted at the Central University of Technology (CUT). Participants were randomly selected from the Department of Clinical Sciences and were not part of the main study. Forty-one first-year students and 23 fourth-year students at the same university were recruited. This study adopts a pre-post experimental design, where the first-year group will participate in the study before and after the demonstration of the fourth-year students’ gaze behaviour. The study reveals differences in gaze behaviour between experts and novices in chest X-ray image analysis. This suggests that structured instruction based on expert gaze behaviour can assist novices to focus on correct pathological elements during chest X-ray image analysis. Additionally, the study reports the students’ habits and trends during analysis. In conclusion, the study demonstrates the effectiveness of understanding the gaze behaviour of novice and expert radiographers. Therefore, eye-tracking demonstrates that it can be of assistance to improve the performance of novice radiographers. Additionally, the integration of eye-tracking and radiography enhances education, training, and diagnostic procedures, and provides valuable guidance for lecturers, enhancing gaze behaviour understanding and improving students’ performance.