Improving the Relationship Between Confidence and Competence: Implications for Diagnostic Radiology Training From the Psychology and Medical Literature. Review uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • The focus of diagnostic radiology training is on creating competent professionals, whereas confidence and its calibration receive less attention. Appropriate confidence is critical for patient care both during and after training. Overconfidence can adversely affect patient care and underconfidence can create excessive costs. We reviewed the psychology and medical literature pertaining to confidence and competence to collect insights and best practices from the psychology and medical literature on confidence and apply them to radiology training. People are rarely accurate in assessments of their own competence. Among physicians, the correlation between perceived abilities and external assessments of those abilities is weak. Overconfidence is more prevalent than underconfidence, particularly at lower levels of competence. On the individual level, confidence can be calibrated to a more appropriate level through efforts to increase competence, including sub-specialization, and by gaining a better understanding of metacognitive processes. With feedback, high-fidelity simulation has the potential to improve both competence and metacognition. On the system level, systems that facilitate access to follow-up imaging, pathology, and clinical outcomes can help close the gap between perceived and actual performance. Appropriate matching of trainee confidence and competence should be a goal of radiology residency and fellowship training to help mitigate the adverse effects of both overconfidence and underconfidence during training and independent practice.

publication date

  • January 3, 2021

Research

keywords

  • Internship and Residency
  • Radiology

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85098938435

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.acra.2020.12.006

PubMed ID

  • 33408052

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 29

issue

  • 3