Assessment of Physicians’ Knowledge and Awareness About the Hazards of Radiological Examinations on the Health of Their Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

BackgroundOne of the vital tools in diagnosing a variety of medical conditions is through radiological examinations which can lead to severe biological effects if precautions are not taken. To limit the harmful effects, as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) was implemented. ALARA aims to minimize the time, increase the distance, and promote the use of protective shielding. MethodThe cross-sectional study included 454 physicians in King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) and King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital (KASCH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study assessed physicians' knowledge and awareness about the hazards of radiological examinations on their patients' health using a self-administered questionnaire to measure knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP). KAP was compared with the sociodemographic characteristics using the Mann-Whitney Z-test as well as Kruskal Wallis H-test. ResultsOut of 454 physicians, males exceeded the females (61.7% vs 38.3%) with nearly three-quarters (72.5%) working in King Abdulaziz Medical City. The most commonly mentioned specialty was internal medicine, while the least common specialty was orthopedics. Based on a cutoff point of 60%, it was revealed that poor knowledge was observed in 70.5% of physicians. With regards to attitude, 65.2% of physicians had a positive attitude. For practices, 49.8% had poor practices while 50.2% had good practices. The mean scores for knowledge, attitude and practice were 9.19 (SD 7.03) out of 23 points, 1.89 (SD 1.06) out of 3 points, and 5.43 (SD 1.67) out of 8 points, respectively. ConclusionIn conclusion, poor knowledge, practice, and positive attitude were detected among physicians. However, our study was limited by the use of a self-administered online questionnaire.

Physician knowledge of radiation exposure and risk in medical imaging in Al-Qunfudha region

“…In the current study, 44% of physicians did not know the recommended patient dose limit for medical radiation (mSv). The same poor knowledge regarding the dose limit was observed in a previous Saudi study, where only 2% of the participants correctly identified the patient's radiation dose limit (Najjar et al, 2022).…”

“…Only 63% of physicians in the present study were unaware of ALARA principle. About 70% of physicians reported being unaware of As Low as Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle in a previous Saudi study (Najjar et al, 2022). A similar response was observed in the Palestine study (Hamarsheh and Ahmead, 2012).…”

“…The present study showed no gender difference according to the level of knowledge. While male physicians had significantly better knowledge than female physician in a previous Saudi study (Najjar et al, 2022). A Saudi study conducted on physicians showed that physician's information's was low among surgeons and orthopedists (Saeed et al, 2018).…”

“…Children's Hospital (KASCH), Riyadh found that poor knowledge was observed in 70.5% of physicians (Najjar et al, 2022). A previous work done in the Hospital of University of King Khalid, Saudi Arabia, including included 157 doctors.…”