Evidence from other healthcare professions to support the standardisation of clinical assessment in pre-registration education for diagnostic radiography: a systematic review

Introduction
This review aimed to gather, assess and synthesise the existing literature pertaining to the standardisation of clinical assessment tools in pre-registration education for competency-based healthcare professions, to inform the development of a standardised tool for clinical assessment in diagnostic radiography.
Methods
A systematic review based on searches in the British Education Index, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus and Embase, and APA PsycINFO & Psych Articles was performed in June and July 2024. Handsearching and reference mining was also conducted. Included studies were assessed for quality using the QuADs tool. A summary table was used to extract data and results were narratively synthesised.
Results
A total of 19,327 articles were found through electronic database searches. 34 studies met the predetermined inclusion criteria and were included in the final review. Eighteen different standardised tools or frameworks were presented in the included papers. Studies reported on the process of standardising clinical and professional competencies, methods of standardising clinical assessment tools and the evaluation of standardised tools. There were also several papers which did not refer to specific tools or frameworks, but were reviews or opinion-based papers relevant to this review.
Conclusion
This review indicates that standardising clinical assessment for pre-registration diagnostic radiography students would align with what is happening in other healthcare professions globally. Although the quality of the included studies varied widely, there is a considerable amount to learn from the processes, methods and evaluations of previous standardisation attempts.
Implications for practice
This review brings valuable insight to the development of a national standardised clinical assessment tool for diagnostic radiography training. A standardised approach would support consistency and parity within and between placement settings in the UK, reducing the multiple tools some assessors are currently required to navigate. To support the design and creation of this clinical assessment tool, there is a need for a thorough consensus process to be carried out with key stakeholders, and rigorous ongoing evaluation and training.