X-ray dose training: are we exposed to enough?

AIM: To study knowledge of radiation exposure among doctors of various grades and specialties in a large district general hospital.
METHODS: A multiple-choice format questionnaire with a total of 11 questions was distributed amongst doctors at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK. Doctors of various grades and specialties completed 240 questionnaires which tested knowledge of terrestrial and medical radiation exposure.
RESULTS: With a pass mark of only 45% and a generous marking scheme, only 66 (27.5%) doctors passed. Only 15.4-25.8% of doctors knew the doses relative to a chest radiograph of various more complex procedures involving ionizing radiation and only 12.5% of doctors were aware of the one in 2000 risk of induction of fatal carcinoma from CT of the abdomen. Only 56.7% of practitioners who, under Ionizing Radiation (Medical Exposures) Regulations 2000, have responsibility for justifying procedures, passed the test. The proportion of practitioners correctly identifying the relative dose of a test to a chest radiograph varied from 30 to 56.7%, depending on the exam type. Only 20% in this group were aware of the risk of inducing a fatal cancer from a CT of the abdomen.
CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated an urgent need to improve knowledge of radiation exposure amongst doctors in clinical practice.