Sundaran Kada1. 1. Institute of Radiography, Faculty of Health and Social Science, Bergen University College, PO Box 7030, 5020 Bergen, Norway. sundaran.kada@hib.no
Abstract
BACKGROUND: General practitioners (GPs) often decide to refer patients for medical imaging with ionizing radiation and are therefore responsible for assessing the benefits of the procedure against the possible risks. OBJECTIVE: To assess the level of general practitioners' knowledge concerning radiation doses for patients undergoing common radiological investigations and the associated risks of these radiation doses. METHOD: I used a self-administered postal questionnaire survey sent to all 200 GPs working in municipal general practices in Bergen to investigate their knowledge about radiation doses and the risks associated with ionizing radiation. RESULTS: The response rate was 47%. Most GPs showed poor knowledge of radiation doses and associated risks. Male GPs had greater knowledge compared with female GPs (P=0.049). GPs with training in radiation safety had significantly greater knowledge compared with those with no radiation safety training (P=0.005). CONCLUSION: Overall, GPs' knowledge of radiation doses and the risks associated with ionizing radiation was reported to be poor.
BACKGROUND: General practitioners (GPs) often decide to refer patients for medical imaging with ionizing radiation and are therefore responsible for assessing the benefits of the procedure against the possible risks. OBJECTIVE: To assess the level of general practitioners' knowledge concerning radiation doses for patients undergoing common radiological investigations and the associated risks of these radiation doses. METHOD: I used a self-administered postal questionnaire survey sent to all 200 GPs working in municipal general practices in Bergen to investigate their knowledge about radiation doses and the risks associated with ionizing radiation. RESULTS: The response rate was 47%. Most GPs showed poor knowledge of radiation doses and associated risks. Male GPs had greater knowledge compared with female GPs (P=0.049). GPs with training in radiation safety had significantly greater knowledge compared with those with no radiation safety training (P=0.005). CONCLUSION: Overall, GPs' knowledge of radiation doses and the risks associated with ionizing radiation was reported to be poor.