Patient Awareness and Knowledge Level for Radiation in Different Radiology Modalities in Hospitals

Aims: Understanding the knowledge gaps among the public regarding radiation protection of each modality has helped to assess the community awareness and perception, which reflects our urgent need for more education for the public. This project aims to evaluate the knowledge levels of patients undergoing medical imaging procedures is regarding the risk and benefits by providing sufficient information regarding their specific medical imaging technique upon examination.

Study Design: A prospective study with a special questionnaire to collect data.

Place and Duration of Study: Subjects: Different departments of Radiology in different hospitals, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for 3 months.

Methodology: The survey was conducted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to include four major hospitals. The sample of the study included 500 patients (125 for each hospital). Patients are aged 18 years and over were referred by physicians for a radiological examination, including different radiologic modalities.

Results: It was found that 52% of patients were provided the information about radiology examination. The mean scores of questions ranged from 69% to 76%. So, there was a strong positive correlation between the radiology examination information received by patients and the radiation questions' score.

Conclusion: The majority of patients who visited the radiology departments in Jeddah's hospitals did not receive sufficient information about radiation awareness when starting the radiology examination, which in turn reflects their level of general knowledge of radiation risks.