Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Occupational Radiation Safety among Physicians in Saudi Arabia

Background: Despite its advantages, ionizing radiation causes adverse reactions on living organisms. To apply protective measures, physicians must minimize the time of exposure as possible, maximize their distance from the radiation source and wear protective gear. This study aimed to understand the level of awareness, knowledge, and safe practice of radiology among physicians in different specialities within the medical field. Methods and Material: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Physicians in several specialities, medical and surgical, of different levels of experience, were included, and physicians without a medical license were excluded. A 16-item self-administered questionnaire measuring physicians’ knowledge, attitude, and exposure to radiation and radiation safety. Results: One hundred and thirty-five physicians were included in the study; the mean of the years of experience for those physicians was 10.79 years. Only 23% of participants have undergone radiation safety training. The physicians’ measured total knowledge, attitudes, and practice scores showed that the physician’s overall mean knowledge score on radiology safety was 51.5%, which is relatively low. The physician’s attitudes toward radiological safety converged significantly and positively on their good safety practices total score. Conclusions: Knowledge is very deficient when it comes to radiation safety, therefore, departmental education sessions concerning specific gaps of knowledge must be implemented for the betterment of knowledge and practice as they positively correlate. Physicians have a good attitude towards radiation safety but are found to be non-compliant more often than not.