Evaluation of the Status of Knowledge, Attitude, and Performance of Radiology Department Staff Regarding Radiation Safety Principles at Hospitals in the North and Northeast of Iran

Although ionizing radiation is useful in diagnosing various diseases, it can cause potential biological damage such as cancer, cataracts, and fetal damage for patients and staff working in radiology departments. Therefore, awareness and practice about the application of radiation protection are essential. This research aims to investigate radiology personnel's knowledge, attitude, and performance in the north and northeast of Iran regarding radiation protection.

This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted using a 30-question questionnaire among 435 radiology personnel in North Khorasan, Razavi Khorasan, Golestan, and Mazandaran provinces. This questionnaire included questions related to demographic information and the level of knowledge, attitude, and performance of radiology personnel regarding radiation protection. Data analysis was also analyzed using SPSS-19 software.

The participation rate of radiology personnel was 80.55%, and the mean and standard deviation of their knowledge, attitude, and performance regarding radiation protection were 45.9907±1.294, 78.1531±4.707, and 44.9368±6.88, respectively. Based on the results of the study, there is no significant relationship between gender and knowledge, attitude and performance of personnel (P=0.781, P=0.156, and P=0.87), but between education degree and attitude of personnel, between working years and expertise of personnel, and also between job title and philosophy, a significant relationship was observed between personnel (P=0.026, P=0.019, and P=0.003, respectively)

Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that employees with fewer years of work be encouraged to participate in radiation protection courses and workshops. It is also better to periodically consider training programs on radiation protection in in-service training for personnel.