Avaliação do conhecimento de usuários de um hospital universitário em Sergipe sobre a radiação utilizada em exames de imagem

Abstract

Introduction: Diagnostic imaging exams may or may not use ionizing radiation, being one of the main supports in clinical decision making. However, concern about the lack of knowledge about the use of radiation in imaging studies has been growing. Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge of users of a university hospital about the radiation used in imaging studies, the potential carcinogenic effects related to them and to discuss the need to better inform the population about this subject. Methods: Cross-sectional study, including an interview that was divided into: socioeconomic characteristics (age, gender, profession, education), medical history of the interviewee and their family members, and general knowledge about imaging exams. Results and Discussion: 200 patients, 6 (3%) being excluded. Most were female (71.13%; n = 138), aged between 50 and 59 years (26.28%; n = 51) and between 10 and 12 years of schooling (44.84%; n = 87). A significant proportion consider that USG (45.36%; n = 88) and MRI (87.62%; n = 170) use ionizing radiation, while X-ray (15%; n = 29) CT (7.73%; n = 15) and Mammography (25.25%; n = 49) do not use it. The number of people who believe that MRI and USG are contraindicated for pregnant women is high, reaching 64.5% and 10.8% respectively. More than 60% stated that MRI, X-ray and CT could trigger future cancers, while USG and mammography could not. The imaging exam most linked to the future appearance of neoplasms was MRI by 69.60% of respondents. According to the results of this research, it is possible to infer that the interviewed patients do not have adequate knowledge about the radiation doses used to perform the imaging exams and the consequent risks of performing them. It was evident the lack of concern of the physician to adequately inform the patient, corresponding to 20.22% (n = 18), being last among the sources of knowledge of the population about radiation. Conclusion: There is a need for larger studies to more objectively evaluate the education of the population regarding the risks and benefits of the use of imaging using ionizing radiation, as well as studies to assess the degree of medical information about the topic