Determination of the last semester radiology technology students' knowledge about radiation protection, radiation exposure and cancer risk of diagnostic examinations with ionizing radiation

Abstract

Background and Aims: Considering the role of radiology technologists in patient protection along with providing high quality images, the present study aimed to assess the last semester radiology students’ awareness about the principles of protection, dose level and cancer risk of ionizing radiation applied for diagnostic imaging examinations in training hospitals of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences.Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study performed using a questionnaire. Sample size was 40 and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 24.Results: Only 15% of students correctly answered the question of ionizing radiation stochastic effect. While 70% of students stated the average dose of an abdominal ultrasound correctly, only 2.5% of them determined the average dose of a myocardial nuclear medicine scan correctly. In total, the respondents received 35% of the overall score of knowledge about cancer risk caused by ionizing radiation of imaging examinations.Conclusion: in conclusion the knowledge of the respondent students about the principles of radiation protection was moderate and the knowledge of them about the level of radiation dose and cancer risk caused by various imaging procedures was insufficient. Considering the significant role of theoretical and practical education in improving the knowledge and skills among radiology technologists, repeating and emphasizing on the principles of radiation protection and pay more attention to these topics in the courses and internships of radiology technology students seems necessary in order to improve the performance of students and make them more ready to accept their future professional responsibilities.