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Introduction: The successful implementation of Interprofessional Education (IPE) in health education programs requires careful consideration of readiness, challenges, and barriers. This study aimed to utilize a tertiary institution in Zimbabwe as a case study to offer a comprehensive depiction of the readiness for IPE among radiography students., Methods: A cross-sectional study using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was conducted between 4 and 29 September 2023. All radiography students from the selected institution were eligible to participate in the study (n = 101), and consecutive sampling was used to recruit all those who consented. Statistical analysis methods used included a student t-test, exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis, and ANOVA., Results: The study included 76 radiography students (n = 61 diagnostic; n = 15 therapy). The overall mean (SD) score on the RIPLS was 80.89 (5.92). A significant difference (p = 0.03) was noted in the mean score between diagnostic students and therapy students, with therapy students scoring higher than their diagnostic counterparts (mean[SD] 83.87 [5.58], and 80.16[5.81] respectively). In the first nine items of the questionnaire about "teamwork and collaboration," most students responded positively (agree and strongly agree) to all items. Most students disagreed with all the items related to negative professional identity (items no. 10-12) and agreed with all items related to positive professional identity (items no. 13-16)., Conclusion: The study highlights the potential impact of enabling healthcare students to learn and interact together, as demonstrated by the differences in readiness between students in different programs. Additionally, the study underscores the importance of understanding professional identities and the influence of selection criteria and exposure to teamwork on readiness for IPE., Implications for Practice: Promoting interprofessional collaboration and understanding professional identities are crucial for enhancing readiness for IPE among healthcare students, guiding institutions to adopt a more integrated approach to education., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement None., (Copyright © 2024 The College of Radiographers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: As the global demand for radiography services increases, departments need to be aware of the environmental impact of their practices and strive to reduce their carbon footprint. However, sustainability in radiography, particularly in low-resource settings, remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, practices, and barriers to sustainability in radiography practice among radiographers in Zimbabwe and Zambia., Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study involving 216 consecutively sampled radiographers who completed an online questionnaire was conducted. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test, and exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis., Results: Overall, 81.49 % of the radiographers had some familiarity with the concept of sustainability. The radiography educational curriculum was singled out as lacking sufficient content on sustainability (44.44 %). More than half of the radiographers reported the absence of deliberate sustainable practices in place in their respective departments (Zambia 51.02 %, Zimbabwe 54.69 %). The top reported barriers to sustainability include; a lack of priority for sustainability from leadership and organization (73.61 %), a lack of incentives for sustainability (75.46 %), and a lack of partnerships between suppliers and consumers on ways to improve diagnosis, patient safety and sustainability (82.4 %)., Conclusion: This study offers valuable insights into the current state of sustainability in radiography in Zambia and Zimbabwe, highlighting the need for academic reforms, intentional departmental practices, and systemic changes to drive sustainable efforts in the field. Future research should aim to enhance the sustainability of radiographic examinations and procedures, thereby advancing the core practice of radiographers., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Introduction: University-based mental health services are crucial to supporting radiography students' mental health and addressing university mental health risk factors. This study aimed to identify factors causing mental health challenges among radiography students, understand their academic impact, and explore lecturers' potential roles in supporting students' well-being at a Zimbabwean tertiary institution., Methods: A qualitative explorative study employing in-depth semi-structured interviews with 10 radiography students and eight educators was conducted. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim using Otter.ai software. The data was then analyzed inductively using thematic analysis in Nvivo 12, following Braun and Clarke's six-step approach., Results: Three themes were created that describe the factors causing mental health challenges among radiography students, their academic impact, and lecturers' potential roles in supporting students' well-being. The themes are i. Mental health challenges in diverse social, personal, and environmental landscapes ii. Coping and building resilience, and iii. Educator roles in holistic support for mental health and personal growth. A six-step "Cascade" model of the educator roles was proposed., Conclusions: The study highlights the complex mental health issues faced by radiography students, emphasizing the need for increased attention, resources, and support in academic environments. It highlights the importance of encouraging healthy coping strategies and cultivating a well-being culture, with educators playing a crucial role in fostering friendly environments and providing comprehensive support. Future research should investigate educators' ability to take on these roles while maintaining their current duties in Education 5.0., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Introduction: Understanding noncognitive traits like emotional intelligence (EI) is valuable for radiography students, academics, practitioners, and educators. It helps them become aware of how these traits can impact their training, placements, and careers. This study aimed to evaluate the EI of radiography students at a tertiary institute in Harare, Zimbabwe., Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study using a validated Trait EI questionnaire was conducted on students at a tertiary institute in Harare, Zimbabwe. Student t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Spearman's rho were employed for data analysis., Results: A total of 84 radiography students were enrolled in this study. The students had relatively lower EI scores (4.31 +/-0.49) as compared to most of their global counterparts. A significant positive monotonic relationship was identified between age and self-control factor (Spearman's rho = 0.22, p = 0.04). There were no statistically significant differences in mean scores for the global and the four EI factors when stratified by gender, even though males had slightly higher scores than females in all but the emotionality factor. There were no significant differences in the mean scores of the global as well as the four factors by year of study., Conclusion: Deliberate, time-intensive curriculum interventions are needed to improve the EI of radiography students in Zimbabwe and this trend is potentially similar to other resource-limited settings. However, more context-specific evidence is needed to formulate the best techniques for EI interventions., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Introduction: Radiology is part of the service industry; therefore, there is a need to understand quality and its associated factors. The cost of poor service quality is a loss of competitive advantage, increased litigation, misdiagnosis, unnecessary radiation exposure, and patient mortality. There has been little research into the factors influencing the quality of radiological services in Zimbabwe. This work, therefore, aimed to explore the radiographer's perceptions of the factors that affect the quality of radiological services at central hospitals in the Harare Metropolitan Province., Methods: A qualitative, explorative study applying the SERVQUAL model was carried out. One-on-one interviews with 10 purposively sampled radiographers employed at central hospitals in the Harare Metropolitan Province were conducted. The data were managed by Nvivo 12 (QSR International) and analyzed by framework analysis., Results: Radiographer's perceptions of the factors that affect the quality of radiological services were categorized by five themes namely; i. Tangibles - the physical appearance of the radiology department and facilities, ii. Reliability and dependability - the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately, iii. Responsiveness - the willingness to help patients and provide prompt service, iv. Assurance - the knowledge and courtesy of radiology staff and their ability to inspire trust and confidence, and v. Empathy - caring, the individualized attention the radiology department provides to its patients., Conclusion: Economically viable, well-designed national strategies are needed to prioritize and fund radiology in Zimbabwe and other resource-constrained settings. Recognition of acquired specialist skills by radiographers to halt the exodus and training of radiologists, radiology nurses, medical physicists, and biomedical engineers by local institutions will go a long way in improving the quality of radiological services., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Understanding disruptive behaviours from the perspective of radiographers is important, as this professional group uses hazardous radiation in the execution of their duties, making patient safety of utmost concern., Objective: Determine the disruptive behaviours involving radiographers at central hospitals in Harare Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe., Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study was carried out at central hospitals in Harare Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe, where 100 radiographers were randomly selected., Results: Overall, 83% of radiographers had been exposed to an incident of DB in the preceding 12 months. Reported types of disruptive behaviour included: Verbal abuse (81%), sexual abuse (21%) and physical abuse (4%). Of the 21 radiographers that suffered sexual abuse, the majority 71 % (n=15) were female while 29% (n=6) were males. Prevalence odds ratio revealed that female radiographers were 1.8 times more likely than their male counterparts to be victims of the workplace sexual abuse (95% C.I.: 0 - 3.04). A significant 69% were abused by patients and their families/escorts, p=.001., Conclusion: More than 8 out of 10 radiographers in this study were exposed to disruptive behaviours, mostly from the patients and patient's family or escorts. A framework to increases awareness and address these behaviours is recommended., Competing Interests: None declared., (© 2022 Chinene B et al.)

Disruptive behaviours (DBs) are not normally in the scope of legal sanctions, notwithstanding their undesirable effects. Hence, many healthcare organizations still have difficulty in dealing with them in an effective manner. Several studies suggest that few organizations have tailor-made policies or procedures for evaluating, proving and mitigating these behaviours. However, evidence shows that mitigating DBs is critical to empowering healthcare workers to focus on providing superior, affordable and safe patient care. The aim of this study was to explore radiography managers' perspectives on the strategies to mitigate DBs involving radiographers. An exploratory qualitative study employing one-on-one semi-structured in-depth interviews was carried out between March and April 2021. Eleven radiography managers at central hospitals in Harare Metropolitan Province were selected by criterion-purposive sampling. The interview data were analyzed using Tesch's method of qualitative analysis. The data were first manually coded and then entered into Nvivo (QSR International Version 11) for further analysis. Three themes emerged from the interview data including awareness of DBs, willingness to address DBs, and conflict resolution. Context-specific strategies to mitigate DBs should be identified and implemented to guarantee a healthy work environment for radiographers so that they focus on providing excellent and safe patient care.