AI Article Synopsis

  • A study was conducted to evaluate physicians' understanding of radiation exposure from common imaging studies in trauma care, focusing on the effective doses of musculoskeletal imaging.
  • An electronic survey was sent to various U.S. residency programs, revealing that many physicians significantly underestimated the radiation doses for imaging, especially for pelvic and lumbar CT scans.
  • Results indicated that those who frequently discussed radiation risks with patients had a better grasp of the actual radiation exposure, highlighting a need for improved education on this topic among trauma care providers.

Article Abstract

Background: Few contemporary studies have assessed physicians' knowledge of radiation exposure associated with common imaging studies, especially in trauma care. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge of physicians involved in caring for trauma patients regarding the effective radiation doses of musculoskeletal (MSK) imaging studies routinely utilized in the trauma setting.

Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to United States orthopaedic surgery, general surgery, and emergency medicine (EM) residency programs. Participants were asked to estimate the radiation dose for common imaging modalities of the pelvis, lumbar spine, and lower extremity, in terms of chest X-ray (CXR) equivalents. Physician estimates were compared to the true effective radiation doses. Additionally, participants were asked to report the frequency of discussing radiation risk with patients.

Results: A total of 218 physicians completed the survey; 102 (46.8%) were EM physicians, 88 (40.4%) were orthopaedic surgeons, and 28 (12.8%) were general surgeons. Physicians underestimated the effective radiation doses of nearly all imaging modalities, most notably for pelvic computed tomaography (CT) (median 50 CXR estimation vs. 162 CXR actual) and lumbar CT (median 50 CXR estimation vs. 638 CXR actual). There was no difference between physician specialties regarding estimation accuracy (=0.133). Physicians who regularly discussed radiation risks with patients more accurately estimated radiation exposure (=0.007).

Conclusion: The knowledge among orthopaedic and general surgeons and EM physicians regarding the radiation exposure associated with common MSK trauma imaging is lacking. Further investigation with larger scale studies is warranted, and additional education in this area may improve care.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10323512PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.5847/wjem.j.1920-8642.2023.055DOI Listing

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