Knowledge level of family medicine assistants about interventional radiology

Background and Aim: Interventional radiology is the procedure performed for the purpose of imaging, diagnosing and treating the inside of the body. In recent years, the use of interventional radiology as a treatment tool as well as diagnosis has accelerated the development of interventional radiology. Patients may ask family physicians questions about interventional radiology, or family physicians may need to guide them about these procedures. Family physicians must have sufficient knowledge about interventional radiology and be able to follow the development of interventional radiology. The aim of our study is to determine the knowledge level of family medicine assistants on interventional radiology and to increase their awareness so that they can provide the necessary consultancy to patients about interventional radiological procedures and be adequately equipped about this subject during their specialization period. Materials and Method: Our cross-sectional descriptive study was completed with the participation of 413 family medicine assistants who could be reached in Turkey and participated in the study between 01.08.2023-01.10.2023. Participants were asked to fill out a 21-question survey form designed to measure their sociodemographic data and interventional radiology knowledge and interest levels, online via e-mail and social media platforms. Statistical Evaluation was made using SPSS 25.0 program. Results: 73,1% (n=302) of the participants were women, 56,3% (n=224) had been practicing medicine for 5 years or less, and 38.0% (n=156) had been assistants for 1 year. 81,0% (n=333) did not complete the rotation process, 47,0% (n=193) had a medium level of interventional radiology knowledge, 74,5% (n=306) had an elective procedure. It was determined that it did not directly refer its patients to interventional radiology, and 95,2% (n = 393) answered correctly to the question of taking biopsy or providing drainage using imaging techniques, and 66,6% answered incorrectly to the question of cardiac angioplasty or stenting. The total score of interventional radiology knowledge level was found to be 6,34 out of 10. Conclusion: In our study, the knowledge level of all assistants who performed their rotations was determined to be higher. In our study, we determined that the total knowledge score of the participants was above average. The level of knowledge is parallel to the duration of education received. Adequate knowledge of family physicians can enable patients to benefit more from advanced diagnosis and treatment options.