Assessment of students and residents' awareness of radiation protection in a teaching hospital

Congress:

EuroSafe Imaging 2016

Poster Number:

ESI-0013

Type:

EuroSafe Imaging

Keywords:

Action 9 - Development of criteria for safe imaging procedures, Action 7 - Medical radiation protection research: MELODI, EURAMED, Action 6 - Education and training in medical radiation protection, Action 8 - Radiation protection training and learning material, Action 9 - Facilitation of research in advanced topics of radiation protection, Action 5 - Performance indicators for radiation protection management

Authors:

D. Caramella, F. Paolicchi

DOI:

10.1594/esi2016/ESI-0013

DOI-Link:

https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/esi2016/ESI-0013

Table 1: Table 1: Score questionnaire statistics of the level of awareness of radiation...

Fig. 1: Figure 1: Descriptive statistical results of medical students and radiology...

Fig. 2: Figure 2: Descriptive statistical results of medical students and radiology...

Background/Introduction

Several radiological examinations may expose patients to significant amounts of ionizing radiation [1-3]. Furthermore, recent evolution of some radiological modalities has increased the number of performed examinations, rising concerns in the scientific community for the possible long termeffects on patients [4-5]. While acute effects of radiation exposure, such as erythema or burns following interventional procedures, are evident after a short time, the long term effects are more difficult to determine. Recently, some papers have clearly demonstrated a small but significant increment of cancer in children...

Description of activity and work performed

Data were collected by means of a survey performed among medical students and radiology residents of Pisa University between September 1st and September 30th, 2015. Questionnaires were distributed in the occasion ofuniversity lessons that medical students attend during the 5th year of theirsix-year curriculum, and in the occasion ofthe weekly briefings that radiology residents attend during theirfive-year curriculum. The questionnaire, which had been validated in advance to perform a prospective observational study, consisted of 22 questions in a multiple choice format, divided into three sections...

Conclusion and Recommendations

Our results, summarized in Figures 1 and 2, demonstrate some shortcomings in medical students and radiology residents knowledge of radiation protection that maybe considered in redefiningboth their curriculum. Given a score of 1 for each correct answer and a score of 0 for incorrect or missing answers, the total mean score was 4.8 and 5.8 out of 7 for medical students and radiology residents, respectively. Interestingly, although medical students show a poorerknowledge compared to residents, 94.4% of them assessed to have awareness of radiation protection...

Personal/Organisational information

Davide Caramella, Radiologist Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology University of Pisa Fabio Paolicchi, Radiographer Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology University Hospital of Pisa (AOUP)

References

1. Brenner DJ, Hall EJ (2007) CT—an increasing source of radiation exposure. N Engl Med 22:2277–2284 2. Mettler FA Jr, Huda W, Yoshizumi TT,Mahesh M (2008) Effective doses in radiology and diagnostic nuclear medicine: a catalog. Radiology 248:254–263 3. Furlow B (2010) Radiation dose in computed tomography. Radiol Technol 81:437–450 4. Smith-Bindman R, Miglioretti DL, Johnson E, Lee C, Feigelson HS, Flynn M et al (2012) Use of diagnostic imaging studies and associated radiation exposure for patients enrolled in large integrated health care systems, 1996–2010....