Keywords:
Radioprotection / Radiation dose, Radiographers, Professional issues, Digital radiography, CT, MR, Education, Safety, Radiation effects, Occupational / Environmental hazards, Education and training
Authors:
D. V. Mestre1, R. P. P. Almeida2, L. P. Ribeiro3, A. F. Abrantes3, O. Lesyuk4, S. Rodrigues3, K. B. Azevedo5; 1Algarve/PT, 2Faro /PT, 3Faro/PT, 4São Brás De Alportel/PT, 5Faro, EU/PT
DOI:
10.26044/ecr2019/C-1565
Aims and objectives
By definition,
ionizing radiation is radiation with enough energy so that during an interaction with na atom,
it can remove tightly bound electrons from the orbit of an atom,
causing the atom to become charged or ionized.
It can be considered as the energy that is transported by any of the various types of particles and electromagnetic radiation emitted by radioactive materials,
x-rays tubes and nuclear reactions (WHO,
2018).
When exposed to ionizing radiation,
the cells can undergo biological damage due to the physical and/or chemical action of that radiation on the atoms that form the cells.
By causing the ionization and excitation of the atoms,
this radiation affects the molecules that can lead to the breakdown of molecular links in the deoxyribonucleic acid chain (direct effect) and the formation of free radicals that will react chemically (indirect effect) cells,
tissues and organs,
as well as affect the functioning of the entire body (Veludo,
2011).
Ionizing radiation is widely used to diagnose many diseases and relevant hazards are known to be as an important limitation of its application.
It is believed that the awareness of ionizing radiation dose value is one of the main stages in patient radiation protection.
Therefore,
the main goal of this study was to verify the level of knowledge of the general population about the ionizing radiation.
As specific objectives we try to understand the importance of this issue to the general population,
realize whether information is transmitted by healthcare providers on this subject and get to know what population knows about the risks of using radiation ionizing.
Consequently,
the evaluation of patient knowledge regarding radiation and its associated risks can identify knowledge gaps,
providing an opportunity to increase patient awareness and understanding of medical radiation.