Doctors' and intern doctors' knowledge about patients' ionizing radiation exposure doses during common radiological examinations
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General Radiology - Original Article
P: 53-55
June 2007

Doctors' and intern doctors' knowledge about patients' ionizing radiation exposure doses during common radiological examinations

Diagn Interv Radiol 2007;13(2):53-55
1. From the Department of Radiology, Military Hospital, Van, Turkey
2. Department of Public Health, Gazi University Health Sciences Institute, Ankara, Turkey
3. Gazi University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
No information available.
No information available
Received Date: 19.04.2006
Accepted Date: 13.04.2007
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ABSTRACT

PURPOSE

To investigate the level of doctors' and intern doctors' knowledge about patients' radiation exposure doses during common radiological examinations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A questionnaire listing the radiation doses of routine radiological diagnostic procedures was administered to 177 doctors and intern doctors. We asked them to find the equivalent doses of radiation for common radiological examinations when a normal chest X-ray is accepted as one unit. Data were analyzed with ksquare and Fisher's exact k-square tests.

RESULTS

In all, 93.1% (n = 156) of the doctors and intern doctors underestimated the actual radiation dose, 4% (n = 7) did not know that ultrasound does not utilize ionizing radiation, and 27.4% (n = 47) did not know that magnetic resonance imaging does not entail ionizing radiation.

CONCLUSION

Most of the doctors and intern doctors underestimated real radiation doses. This lack of awareness may cause doctors to order more radiological investigations than they would if properly educated. Therefore, we propose mandatory education about radiation protection in the medical school.