title: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Perception of the Society in Kars: A Local Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The start point of this study was the sentence that a patient used: 'my pains had gone with MRI'. It is known that MRI has not a usage area in treatment, yet. Perhaps, the feeling of loss of pain was only a perception. But we want to search the demographic factors that make the perception of loss of pain. The purpose of this study was to determine the consciousness level of the society about MRI.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective survey study included 302 (107 men, 195 women; mean age 43.11±15.18 years) patients who were referred to the radiology clinic to undergo MRI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Almost half of the patients were illiterate and graduated from a primary school. Low level of education was more frequent in women than in men. Most of the patients declared that MRI would diagnose their disease. Among all the patients surveyed, 209 of 302 patients indicated no changes in the degree of pain before and after MRI, 30 indicated increased pain, 62 indicated decreased pain, and one patient did not answer the question. Most of the patients who declared decreasing pain had lumbar or cervical MRI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The function of MRI was known by the patients independently from their educational status. The degree of decrease in pain was higher in the 'treatment' answer. Perhaps the relatively higher percentage was a result of the expectations about treatment and was related with psychological motivation.
authors: Department of Radiology, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Mahmut
authors: M
authors: Duymuş
authors: Department of Pediatric Neuroradiology, The John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.
authors: Güneş
authors: G
authors: Orman
authors: Department of Radiology, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors: Neşe
authors: N
authors: Asal
authors: Department of Radiology, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Serhat
authors: S
authors: Avcu
keywords: Ethnology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Perception