An assessment of medical students' proficiency regarding the hazards of radiological examinations on the health of workers and patients: a cross-sectional study from Palestine.

Medical students Palestine Radiation hazard Radiological examinations

Journal

Journal of occupational medicine and toxicology (London, England)
ISSN: 1745-6673
Titre abrégé: J Occup Med Toxicol
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101245790

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
03 Dec 2020
Historique:
received: 23 06 2020
accepted: 24 11 2020
entrez: 9 12 2020
pubmed: 10 12 2020
medline: 10 12 2020
Statut: epublish

Résumé

The use of radiological examination is increasing worldwide. Since radiation exposure can result in many health hazards, medical professionals, as well as medical students, should possess adequate knowledge regarding radiation and its related hazards to protect themselves and the patients. Many studies have assessed medical students' knowledge on this topic, but never in Palestine. In this study, we aimed to examine Palestinian medical students' awareness and knowledge regarding radiological examination modalities and their risks on themselves and their patients. This was an observational, cross-sectional, population-based study, conducted to assess the awareness of radiation exposure and its risks among Palestinian medical students. An online questionnaire was implemented on medical students at An-Najah National University. A total knowledge score that ranged from 0 to 22 was calculated for each participant, with higher scores indicating better knowledge regarding radiation doses and the related hazards. Two hundred eighty and seven students participated in our study, with a response rate of 71%. The average knowledge score of the participants was 10.97 ± 4.31 out of a maximum of 22 points. Male participants and participants in advanced study years achieved better knowledge scores (p-values were 0.034 and < 0.001, respectively). Perceived radiology knowledge was significantly associated with the actual knowledge score among the participants (p-value< 0.001). Receiving radiology lectures in fourth and fifth years significantly affected the participants' knowledge score (p-values were < 0.001). We found a severe lack of knowledge regarding radiation doses and related risks among medical students. Therefore, we recommend that medical schools update and supplement their curriculum regarding knowledge on radiation.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
The use of radiological examination is increasing worldwide. Since radiation exposure can result in many health hazards, medical professionals, as well as medical students, should possess adequate knowledge regarding radiation and its related hazards to protect themselves and the patients. Many studies have assessed medical students' knowledge on this topic, but never in Palestine. In this study, we aimed to examine Palestinian medical students' awareness and knowledge regarding radiological examination modalities and their risks on themselves and their patients.
METHODS METHODS
This was an observational, cross-sectional, population-based study, conducted to assess the awareness of radiation exposure and its risks among Palestinian medical students. An online questionnaire was implemented on medical students at An-Najah National University. A total knowledge score that ranged from 0 to 22 was calculated for each participant, with higher scores indicating better knowledge regarding radiation doses and the related hazards.
RESULTS RESULTS
Two hundred eighty and seven students participated in our study, with a response rate of 71%. The average knowledge score of the participants was 10.97 ± 4.31 out of a maximum of 22 points. Male participants and participants in advanced study years achieved better knowledge scores (p-values were 0.034 and < 0.001, respectively). Perceived radiology knowledge was significantly associated with the actual knowledge score among the participants (p-value< 0.001). Receiving radiology lectures in fourth and fifth years significantly affected the participants' knowledge score (p-values were < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS CONCLUSIONS
We found a severe lack of knowledge regarding radiation doses and related risks among medical students. Therefore, we recommend that medical schools update and supplement their curriculum regarding knowledge on radiation.

Identifiants

DOI: 10.1186/s12995-020-00287-8 PMID: 33292346 PMC: PMC7713170
pubmed: 33292346
doi: 10.1186/s12995-020-00287-8
pii: 10.1186/s12995-020-00287-8
pmc: PMC7713170
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Pagination

35

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Auteurs

Ahmed Awadghanem (A)

Department of Radiology, An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.
Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.

Mahmoud Sbaih (M)

Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.

Mohammad Hasoon (M)

Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.

Zaher Yassin (Z)

Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.

Ahmad M Samara (AM)

Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.

Mosab Maree (M)

Department of Radiology, An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.
Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.

Sa'ed H Zyoud (SH)

Department of Clinical and Community Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine. saedzyoud@yahoo.com.
Poison Control and Drug Information Center (PCDIC), College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine. saedzyoud@yahoo.com.
Clinical Research Center, An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, 44839, Palestine. saedzyoud@yahoo.com.
ORCID: 0000-0002-7369-2058

Classifications MeSH