Awareness and knowledge of radiation dose and associated risks among final year medical students in Norway

OBJECTIVES: The objective was to assess the knowledge of radiation dose and of the associated risks with ionising imaging examinations of medical students in their final year of training prior to graduating. METHODS: An online questionnaire was sent to all final year medical students from two universities. The questionnaire consisted of radiation dose and risk related questions, with multiple choices, only one of these choices was the correct answer. A ‘correct’ answer was given one mark and no mark was given for ‘incorrect/do not know’ answers. The total mean score ranged from 0 to 11, with higher scores representing greater knowledge about radiation doses and the associated risks. RESULTS: Ninety-nine students completed and returned the questionnaire yielding a response rate of 45%. The total mean score was 3.91 out of possible 11. Only eighteen students scored more than five points (50%). Students who reported moderate confidence in their knowledge about radiation dose and risks, scored significantly higher than students who reported no confidence (p = 0.003). There was a moderate positive correlation between students that reported moderate confidence and radiation knowledge scores (rho = .301, p = .002). CONCLUSION: Overall medical students’ knowledge of radiation dose and the risks associated with ionising imaging examinations was reported to be low. MAIN MESSAGES: • Medical students’ knowledge about radiation and associated risk is poor • Students are not aware of radiation doses for common radiological procedures • The majority of students underestimated radiation doses for specific examinations • Students with confidence reported greater knowledge than students with no confidence