Joniserande strålning inom datortomografi : Kunskapen hos remitterande läkare

The number of examinations with computed tomography is increasing in Sweden and the rest of the world, which contributes to a higher radiation dose to the population and an increased risk of radiation induced cancer. Referring physicians has a major responsibility for patients who are sent to medical imaging concerning justification of the examination to avoid unnecessary radiation. The study's main purpose was to investigate physicians' general knowledge about ionizing radiation in computed tomography and the radiation risks. Based on the purpose of the study was two questions formulated: Know the referring physician difference in radiation dose between CT and other modalities with ionizing radiation? Are physicians aware of the risks of ionizing radiation? The literature review includes 16 scientific articles that are found in the databases Chinal and Medline. The result was that referring physicians have lacking knowledge regarding ionizing radiation both in terms of radiation doses and the difference in radiation doses, depending on the type of examination. Also the risk induced by the examinations was highly underrated. To increase the physician’s awareness they require more education about ionizing radiation and clearer guidelines for justification when referring patients to medical imaging.Validerat; 20140115 (global_studentproject_submitter