title: Awareness of radiation protection and dose levels of imaging procedures among medical students, radiography students, and radiology residents at an academic hospital: Results of a comprehensive survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the awareness of radiation protection issues and the knowledge of dose levels of imaging procedures among medical students, radiology residents, and radiography students at an academic hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 159 young doctors and students (including 60 radiology residents, 56 medical students, and 43 radiography students) were issued a questionnaire consisting of 16 multiple choice questions divided into three separated sections (i.e., demographic data, awareness about radiation protection issues, and knowledge about radiation dose levels of common radiological examinations).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Medical students claimed to have at least a good knowledge of radiation protection issues more frequently than radiology residents and radiography students (94.4% vs 55% and 35.7%, respectively; P<0.05), with no cases of perceived excellent knowledge among radiography students. However, the actual knowledge of essential radiation protection topics such as regulations, patient and tissue susceptibility to radiation damage, professional radiation risk and dose optimisation, as well as of radiation doses delivered by common radiological procedures was significantly worse among medical students than radiology residents and radiography students (P<0.05). Those latter significantly outperformed radiology residents as to knowledge of radiation protection issues (P<0.01). Overall, less than 50% of survey respondents correctly answered all questions of the survey.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Radiology residents, radiography students and medical students have a limited awareness about radiation protection, with a specific gap of knowledge concerning real radiation doses of daily radiological examinations. Both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching needs to be effectively implemented with radiation safety courses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100, Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: lfaggioni@sirm.org.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Faggioni
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paolicchi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bastiani
authors.affiliation: Unit of Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 2, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guido
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caramella
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection; D000072177:Radiologists / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D011871:Radiology / Q000193:education; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Academic hospital; Education and training; Medical students; Radiation protection; Radiography students; Radiology residents