Determination of the x-ray examination frequencies in diagnostic radiology and a survey on the awareness of radiation protection

With the advances in technology, the use of diagnostic imaging has recently become widespread quickly. An increase in diagnostic imaging frequencies has led to an increase in the contribution of individual patient doses, and therefore, of medical exposures to the total effective dose. Taking into consideration the harmful effects of ionizing radiation, it is important to assess the total effective doses stemming from X-rays used in medical imaging in terms of radiation protection. ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) is a radiation safety culture that suggests doing a risk-benefit assessment of the examinations involving ionizing radiation before the application, that is based on the principle that it should be performed with a dose "as low as reasonably achievable" in cases where the examination will bring benefit, and that includes socioeconomic factors as well. It is vitally important to develop an ALARA culture in the whole society, particularly among radiation practitioners, in order for radiation to be used safely. Towards this aim, in this study, a questionnaire was administered to the doctors asking for diagnostic imaging, the radiation practitioners (technicians and technical staff), as well as the patients exposed to radiation in some public and private hospitals in Istanbul so as to determine their awareness of radiation protection. The questionnaire study was conducted in six hospitals in total, including four education and research hospitals, one faculty of medicine and one public hospital. The questionnaires were prepared in three formats, for the patients, the technicians and the doctors each. The questionnaires for the patients and the doctors include 20 questions, whereas the one for the technicians has 30 questions. The questions for each group include demographic characteristics (gender, age, profession and year of experience), general knowledge of radiation, general knowledge of radiation protection, and the biological effects of radiation. In the questionnaires for the technicians and the doctors, there are also some questions regarding the ALARA culture and the effective doses the patients are exposed to in radiological examinations. The questionnaires were applied in face-to-face interviews with the target groups. Furthermore, the questionnaire for the radiation practitioners was also administered to the participants in the 7th National Radiology Technicians and Professional Education Seminars held in Antalya. The results of the questionnaires were analyzed through SPSS (Statistical Products and Service Solutions) and their descriptive statistical analysis was done. In this study, the frequencies of the examinations performed by using X-rays in diagnostic imaging units were determined for the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. The frequency data were obtained from the PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems) and HIS (Hospital Information Systems) of nine hospitals in total, including two private faculties of medicine, three private hospitals, one faculty of medicine and three education and research hospitals. From among these frequencies, the frequencies of the X-ray procedures that make the most contribution to the total effective dose were determined and the corresponding collective effective doses were calculated.