Knowledge of radiation exposure in common radiological investigations: a comparison between radiologists and non-radiologists

Abstract

Background Radiological examinations are commonly requested for patients to aid clinical diagnosis. However, many doctors do not realise how much radiation dosage their patients are exposed to during radiological investigations. This study aims to assess and compare the knowledge of radiologists and non-radiologists about radiation doses of common radiological investigations. Methods A prospective questionnaire study of doctors about the dosage of commonly performed radiological investigations in a university teaching hospital in Hong Kong. Participants were asked to indicate the average dose of radiation (in mSv) for a standard chest x-ray exposure. Doctors were then asked to estimate the doses of radiation (measured in chest x-ray equivalents) for various radiological procedures. The results of radiologists and non-radiologists were compared. Results 158 doctors (25 radiologists and 133 nonradiologists) completed the questionnaire. The overall accuracy was 40% for radiologists and 16% for nonradiologists. One-third of non-radiologists could not distinguish radiological examinations with or without ionising radiation. No non-radiologists correctly stated the radiation dose (in mSv) of a conventional chest x-ray, and 77% underestimated the dose of radiological examinations. For radiologists, only 32% were correct for the radiation dose of a conventional chest x-ray while 7% underestimated the radiation doses. Conclusion Knowledge of radiation doses of investigation is generally inadequate among radiologists, and particularly poor in non-radiologists. Underestimation of radiation doses may expose patients to increasing radiological investigation and exposure to radiation hazards. Awareness of the radiation hazard of radiological examinations should be raised among medical professionals.

Cohort study of Western Australia computed tomography utilisation patterns and their policy implications

“…There are concerns not all GPs appreciate the levels of radiation dose involved in a CT scan. Several studies have found specialists and GPs inaccurately estimate specific or relative CT doses in comparison to chest x-rays [33–37]. A systematic review of physician surveys found CT dose underestimations in a very high proportion of physicians (60-99%) [33].…”

Displaying radiation exposure and cost information at order entry for outpatient diagnostic imaging: a strategy to inform clinician ordering

“…Given clinicians’ knowledge gaps regarding radiation exposure from imaging studies22–26 and the costs of these tests,27–30 displaying this information at clinician order entry may represent an important teaching opportunity regardless of the impact on clinician ordering. Clinicians often underestimate the radiation exposure associated with common imaging studies,25 31 32 and prior research studies suggest that clinicians are interested in learning more about radiation exposure from imaging studies and the costs of medical care 33 34. Previous studies have called for methods to deliver this critical clinical information to physicians, and this study demonstrates that displaying radiation exposure information at electronic order entry may be an acceptable strategy.…”

Evaluation of clinicians' knowledge and practices regarding medical radiological exposure: findings from a mixed-methods investigation (survey and qualitative study)

“…In other studies 12 13 assessing the knowledge of non-radiological physicians, ∼ 34% of them correctly estimated the effective dose from a thoracic CT scan. In contrast, another study 20 showed inadequate knowledge among radiologists, but more so among non-radiologists. In our study, radiologists produced the highest percentage of correct dose estimates in all the imaging tests, although their knowledge was not as good as expected.…”