Knowledge and perception of patients in a tertiary hospital about radiation and its effects –A survey

Aim: To assess the knowledge and perception of patients about the relative ionizing radiation exposure and its effects in a tertiary hospital. Material and method: A total of 171 subjects were selected from patients who have undergone Computed Tomography and X ray. The self-administered survey comprised of fifteen questions that were divided in two sets with a five point scoring scale. The first set of questions was based on patients’ knowledge and perception on physician practices and the second set of questions was based on the knowledge and perception of patients on radiological examinations. The data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics where mean, standard deviation, and range was used to report the data. Results: Among 171 study participants 61.99 % had an X-ray done and 38.01% had a CT-scan done The respondents who attended university/college show that they have greater awareness than respondents from the latter (35.6%) as compared to the participant who pursued their education in college but didn’t enter university. The patients who finished primary and secondary school showed to have lesser awareness comparatively. The result indicates that those patients who had passed university/college had better awareness (39.1%) than the rest. Conclusion: The overall knowledge and perception of radiation and its effect happens to be moderate based on the results. However, it is best if the patients are highly aware about radiation, dose, its risks, protection and justification, considering its hazard as a carcinogenic entity.