Abstract
Objectives:
To determine the factors contributing to non-compliance of patient attendants towards radiation safety protocols in the diagnostic imaging department.
Study Design:
A prospective descriptive cross-sectional study. This study was conducted in the diagnostic imaging department of DHQ Hospital Sargodha from October to April.
Methodology:
Convenience sampling was used to include 129 patient attendants who accompanied patients for CT and X-ray exams. A standardized, pre-validated questionnaire addressing demographics, radiation safety knowledge, behavioral patterns, communication elements, and organizational components was used to gather data. IBM SPSS version 21.0 was used to analyze the data. Frequencies, percentages, and mean ± SD were computed as descriptive statistics. ANOVA, chi-square tests, correlation, and other inferential statistics were used; p < 0.05 was deemed statistically significant.
Results:
The majority of participants were female (79.8%) and between the ages of 20 and 30. Approximately 59.7% of respondents said they have received radiation safety instructions. The majority of participants showed general awareness and reported adhering to safety procedures; nevertheless, 20–30% displayed inconsistent compliance behaviors, such as taking off protective gear or entering restricted areas, and 36.4% acknowledged refusing to wear protective gear. There was no statistically significant correlation (p > 0.05) between compliance and either gender or education level. Nonetheless, entrance into restricted locations was shown to be significantly correlated with education level (p = 0.047). While obtaining safety instructions did not significantly affect compliance, correlation analysis revealed moderate correlations between some safety behaviors.
Conclusion:
Despite a moderate level of radiation safety awareness among patient attendants, behavioral, communicative, and organizational variables continue to raise concerns about non-compliance. Adherence cannot be guaranteed by knowledge alone. To increase compliance and lower needless radiation exposure, enforcement must be strengthened, communication tactics must be improved, and environmental obstacles must be addressed