Research of patients, whom x – ray diagnostic was performed and concerning awareness of radiation safety

SUMMARY Purpose of Work: To assess patients’ privity on radiation safety, who take part in x-ray diagnostic assay. Modes: Object of research - radiation safety privity of patients who undergo x-ray diagnostic research. Research modes: analysis of scientific literature, anonymous survey, analysis of statistic data, using descriptive statistics. Hospital administration provided with written permission for research. Outcomes: The great part of patients believe that ionizing radiation is harmful to human health, however one fifth of patients don’t express opinion on this issue. Patients claim that x-ray and computer tomography devices spread ionizing radiation, less are convinced that this is work of microwave oven and mobile telephones and claim that cars don’t spread any radiation. Patients are informed on use of ionizing radiation for diagnostic and therapy purposes. Main sources of patients’ information are mass media and television. 13.75 per cent of respondents do not receive any information on radiation safety and only 18.43 per cent respondents evaluate their privity level as satisfactory. Patients expressed unanimous opinion on medical workers who try to inform patients about radiation safety as much as possible, however, by personal request of patients. Patients wish to know and fix the radiation dose they get during x-ray diagnostic and believe that their agreement for carrying out a x-ray diagnostic research is necessary. Conclusions. Patients receive most information on ionizing radiation outside hospital. Therefore their privity level does not depend on hospital where the research has been carried out and is about the same all around Lithuania. Patients receive information from different (most often from traditional mass media) information sources, i.e. press, television, radio, and internet. Information on x-ray diagnostic effect depends on specific strategy of information spread in hospital, however, most hospitals provide with information on requirement. Patients evaluate negatively their subjective privaty level, though they are not always active in searching or asking for information from medical workers