Background: Exposure to high-dose radiation is linked to an increased risk of cancer. The use of good radiation protection protocols improves the quality of education and research. The present study was aimed at assessing the knowledge of radiation safety among medical interns in Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted among medical interns in Saudi Arabia from 2019 to 2020. A cluster-multistage random sampling technique was applied in this study. The collected data were entered into and analyzed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 21.0.
Results: Among 346 participants, 64.2% were male, and 35.8% were female. In total, 38.7% of the participants had a sufficient level of knowledge about ionizing radiation-related risks. In comparison, the vast majority (76%) had never attended events and/or refresher courses on radiation protection. The knowledge score for radiation protection was classified into two levels (good and poor): poor (0 to 2), which 69.7% of the participants achieved. Chi-square tests indicated a significant association between the knowledge score and age (p < 0.01) in favor of 25 years old. There was a significant association between the knowledge score and attendance
at training events and/or refresher courses on radiation protection (p < 0.01) in favor of the participants who frequently attended the training.
Conclusion: The vast majority of interns had insufficient knowledge of radiation protection, which was related to a lack of attendance at training events.
Key words: Radiation safety, medical intern training, knowledge, radiation dose, Qassim Saudi Arabia
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