Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, Singapore.
Department of Paediatrics, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Singapore Med J. 2021 Nov;62(11):582-587. doi: 10.11622/smedj.2020071. Epub 2020 Apr 29.
This study aimed to assess understanding of the potential risks associated with medical imaging among caregivers and adolescent patients in a paediatric emergency department (PED) in Singapore.
A prospective convenience sample survey was performed involving adolescents and caregivers presenting to our PED from December 2015 to May 2016. The questionnaire examined demographic data, knowledge of imaging procedures and radiation risks, and expectations regarding information provided about medical radiation.
A total of 349 questionnaires were returned (caregivers 82.5%, adolescents 17.5%). A mean of 6.2 ± 2.4 (out of 11) questions were correctly answered. Those who had tertiary education fared better than those who did not (36.4% vs. 17.2% scoring above the mean, p = 0.001). Age, gender, history of previous imaging and imaging performed during the visit did not affect the score. Two-thirds of the participants did not associate medical radiation with any negative lifetime risk of cancers or know that different scans entailed differing amounts of radiation. Most were unaware that the radiation dose in medical imaging is adjusted to a child's size. Among patients who underwent imaging, 90.1% received explanations on the need for scans, and 26.5% were informed of the risks involved. Almost all participants wished to be informed of imaging indications and risks. More preferred to learn this from physicians (75.6%) or technicians (51.6%) rather than through educational pamphlets (34.4%) or Internet resources (22.9%).
Awareness regarding medical radiation needs to be improved in our patient population. A mismatch exists between caregiver expectations and the actual procedure of disclosure of the risk associated with radiation.
本研究旨在评估新加坡儿科急诊部（PED）的护理人员和青少年患者对与医疗成像相关的潜在风险的理解。
2015 年 12 月至 2016 年 5 月期间，我们对就诊于儿科急诊部的青少年和护理人员进行了前瞻性便利样本调查。该问卷检查了人口统计学数据、对成像程序和辐射风险的了解，以及对提供有关医疗辐射信息的期望。
共收回 349 份问卷（护理人员 82.5%，青少年 17.5%）。平均正确回答了 6.2±2.4 个问题（满分 11 个）。接受过高等教育的人比没有接受过高等教育的人表现更好（36.4%比 17.2%的得分高于平均值，p=0.001）。年龄、性别、以前的成像史和就诊期间进行的成像均未影响得分。三分之二的参与者没有将医疗辐射与任何癌症的终生负面风险联系起来，也不知道不同的扫描需要不同量的辐射。大多数人不知道医学成像中的辐射剂量是根据儿童的大小进行调整的。在接受成像检查的患者中，90.1%的人收到了关于扫描必要性的解释，26.5%的人被告知相关风险。几乎所有参与者都希望被告知成像的适应症和风险。大多数人更愿意从医生（75.6%）或技术人员（51.6%）那里了解这些信息，而不是通过教育手册（34.4%）或互联网资源（22.9%）了解。
我们的患者群体需要提高对医疗辐射的认识。护理人员的期望与实际披露与辐射相关的风险的程序之间存在差距。
