Assessment of Knowledge, Awareness, and Practices Regarding Radiation Hazards Among Radiological Staff
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Background: Ionizing radiation is essential in diagnostic and interventional radiology, but repeated occupational exposure may pose avoidable biological risks when radiation protection principles are not adequately understood or applied. Objective: To assess knowledge, awareness, and practice-related indicators regarding radiation hazards and radiation protection among radiological staff. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among 96 radiological staff members working in public and private hospital settings. Participants included radiologists, technologists, and technicians. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire assessing demographic characteristics, professional profile, previous radiation safety training, radiation hazards, dose limits, ALARA principles, protective equipment, dosimetry, and imaging-related dose estimation. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and knowledge scores were compared by gender and professional category using independent-samples t-test and one-way ANOVA. Results: Females constituted 61.5% of participants, and 64.6% were younger than 25 years. Overall, 67.7% had received radiation safety training. The mean knowledge score was 46.09 ± 4.46 out of 66, corresponding to 69.83% of the total score. Higher response percentages were observed for ALARA, safe positioning, lead apron protection, and training importance, whereas lower response percentages were found for deterministic effects, stochastic effects, CT head dose equivalence, and occupational dose limits. Knowledge scores did not differ significantly by gender or professional category. Conclusion: Radiological staff demonstrated moderate overall radiation safety knowledge, with important gaps in radiation biology and dose-related concepts. Regular competency-based training and institutional safety monitoring are recommended
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