TITLE:
Evaluation of Radiation Exposure Literacy among Mammography Examinees Using Radiation Dose Distribution in Mammography Examinations
AUTHORS:
Tokiko Nakamura, Kyoichi Kato, Shoichi Suzuki, Kenichiro Tanaka, Sachila Niroshani, Toru Negishi, Ryusuke Irie
KEYWORDS:
Radiation Dose, Literacy, Mammography, Radiation Dose Distribution, Surveys, Questionnaires
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Radiology,
Vol.12 No.4,
December
8,
2022
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Radiation is indispensable for diagnosis and treatment and is widely used in medicine. This study aimed to determine patients’ knowledge and ability to understand radiation exposure to assess the usefulness of providing information on radiation doses to examinees. Material and Methods: The radiation exposure literacy of mammography examinees was assessed using a new scale consisting of the following five items: “collection of information from various sources”, “selection of information necessary for oneself”, “understanding and communication of information”, “judgment of the reliability of information”, and “ability to plan and act based on information”. We analyzed the relationship of these items with examinees’ attributes and clarified the level of understanding of radiation exposure dose associated with mammography examinations by providing examinees with visual information in the form of color maps. Results: The relationship between “information collection” and several attributes of radiation exposure literacy was strong. In addition, providing visual information on radiation doses using dose distribution maps in mammography examinations could deepen the understanding of radiation doses among examinees. Conclusion: By understanding the radiation exposure literacy of examinees and comparing it with their attributes, it is possible to provide suggestions for developing methods of providing radiation dose information tailored to individual examinees. In addition, improving radiation exposure literacy will enable the development of skills necessary to provide safe medical care to medical examinees.