An assessment of medical students' awareness of radiation exposures associated with diagnostic imaging investigations

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed students' awareness of radiation exposures and determined the impact a curriculum in clinical radiology (CICR) had on awareness. METHODS: Six hundred seventy medical students at one medical school were studied. CICR was delivered in yearly modules over the 5-year programme. Five hundred twenty-three students (years 1-5), exposed to increasing numbers of CICR modules and 147 students beginning medical school (year 0), represented the study and control groups, respectively. Students completed a multiple choice questionnaire assessing radiation knowledge and radiology teaching. RESULTS: Most students in the study population received CICR but 87% considered they had not received radiation protection instruction. The percentage of correctly answered questions was significantly higher in the study population than the control group (59.7% versus 38%, p < 0.001). Students who received CICR achieved higher scores than those who did not (61.3% compared with 42.8%, p < 0.001). Increasing exposure to CICR with each year of medical education was associated with improved performance. CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of students' awareness of radiation exposures in diagnostic imaging demonstrates improved performance with increasing years in medical school and/or increasing exposure to CICR. Findings support the Euroatom 97 directive position, advocating implementation of radiation protection instruction into the undergraduate medical curriculum.

Fig. 1

Student knowledge of the association between certain imaging modalities and an increased cancer risk. As observed previously, the more senior the student, the more likely he/she was to be correct. For example, 5th years were more likely to know that ultrasound and MRI were not associated with an increase in cancer risk compared with 4th years. A greater number of 5th year students also knew that CT was associated with an increased risk of cancer compared with 4th years.