Patient's awareness of cancer risk from radiation in computerized tomography

Abstract EN

The widespread and rapidly increasing use of computerize tomography (CT) has raised the burden of radiation to patients with consequent raise of risk of radiationinduced cancer.

Objective: to assess patient's awareness of the risk of cancer from CT radiation and the level of patient's informing.

Methods: A questionnaire was administrated to 100 patients (55 female, 45 male) who were referred to CT unit.

Results : Majority of patients (86 %) have no awareness of the high radiation implied by CT examinations and the increased risk of cancer.

Sixty three (63 %) of referred patients had not been informed about risk neither by referring physician, radiologist nor by the CT technologist, however 40 of them (63.5 %) would accept examination, 15 (23 %) would refuse it and 8 (12.7 %) would hesitate if they had been told about that risk.

Conclusion : There is great deficiency in the patient's knowledge of the risk from CT radiation and majority are not informed by medical personnel.

Urgent actions and programs, specially implicating media, to reasonably educate patient about these issues seems necessary.

Further larger-sample studies to assess awareness of patients as well as medical staff are recommended.