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Table 3 Doctors' knowledge of radiation dose and risk for medical ionising testing

From: The biological effects of diagnostic cardiac imaging on chronically exposed physicians: the importance of being non-ionizing

Author, year (Ref)

Physicians

Radiological Awareness Evaluation

Results

Shiralkar S et al., 2003 (6)

British physicians

Radiation doses for common radiological investigations.

97% of doctors underestimates dose.

5% believes that US use ionising radiation.

8% believes thatMRI use ionising radiation.

Finestone A et al., 2003 (7)

Istraeli orthopaedists

Mortality risk of radiation-induced carcinoma from bone scan scintigraphy

Mortality risk was identified correctly by less than 5% of respondents.

Lee CI et al., 2004 (8)

Emergency department (ED), physicians and radiologists

Radiation dose and possible risks associated with CT scan

Almost all doctors were unable to accurately estimate the dose.

Only 9% ED physicians believed that there was increased risk.

Correia MJ et al., 2005 (9)

Adult and paediatric cardiologists

Environmental impact, individual bio-risks, dose exposure and medico-legal regulation of medical ionising testing

Only 11%, 5%, 29% and 42% of physicians correctly identified environmental impact, individual bio-risks, dose exposure and legal regulation, respectively.

  1. CT = computed tomography; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging; US = ultrasound