Assessment of Students and Radiographers Awareness about the Principles of Radiation Protection and the Physical Principles of Digital Radiography Systems

Radiographers’ awareness about the principles of radiation protection and the physical principles of digital radiology devices can play an important role in obtaining quality images and reducing the dose of patients. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the level of students and radiologists awareness of Khorasan province in the field of radiation protection principles and physical principles of digital imaging systems.

Methods and Materials:

 A digital radiography questionnaire was used in this study whose validity and reliability were confirmed. The first part of the questionnaire included demographic questions. The second part included 11 questions about the principles of radiation protection and 11 questions about the physical basics of working with digital radiography devices. If the answer is correct, a positive score is given and other options are given a zero score. The third part, which was specific to radiographers, included a question about participating in previous training workshops.

The level of awareness about the principles of radiation protection in radiographers (score 49.08 ± 14.45) was significantly higher than that of students (score 66.63 ± 16.99) (P < 0.05). The level of awareness about physical basics in students (score 54.27 ± 17.09) was significantly higher than radiographers (score 39.36 ± 10.45) (P < 0.05). The level of awareness about physical principles had a significant and negative relationship with age and work experience (P < 0.05).

Radiographer’s level of awareness about the physical basics of digital imaging systems is insufficient. It is necessary to increase radiographer’s level of awareness in this field through the development of continuous training programs.