Abstract
The support that radiological examinations provide for medical diagnosis is essential. Over time, an increase in the performance of these exams has been observed and, consequently, an increase in people exposed to X-rays. For biological reasons, women are most sensitive to X-rays. It becomes important to analyse their health literacy levels, safeguarding radiological protection in the future. An online questionnaire was developed, and disseminated on the digital platforms of three associations, aimed at women aged between 18 and 57. A sample of 502 women was obtained. It was possible to observe gaps in health literacy, namely in dose, as well as in the X-rays presence in some exams, such as “Mammography” and “Bone Density”. Variables such as “Age” and “Academic Qualification” are shown to directly influence the literacy levels presented. On the other hand, the information provided by the Healthcare Professionals did not reveal to exert any influence on the levels of women’s radiological knowledge. Betting on greater and better communication in radiology for this target audience, considering the sociodemographic variables of each one, will promote greater interest and participation of Health Users in the process, helping to increase radiological protection and safety.
Keywords
- Radiology
- Radiological protection
- Public health
- Knowledge
- Health promotion
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
Buying options




References
Al Ewaidat, H., Zheng, X., Khader, Y., Spuur, K., Abdelrahman, M., Alhasan, M.K.M., Al-Hourani, Z.A.: Knowledge and awareness of CT radiation dose and risk among patients. J. Diagn. Med. Sonogr. 34(5), 347–355 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1177/8756479318776214
Aldossari, H., Ahmed Naji, A., Al Shammari, A.K.: Evaluation of awareness on radiation protection and knowledge about ionizing radiation among patients awaiting radiological examinations: a cross-sectional survey. Austin J. Radiol. (2019)
Alhasan, M., Abdelrahman, M., Alewaidat, H., Khader, Y.: Medical radiation knowledge among patients in local hospitals. J. Med. Imaging Radiat. Sci. 46(1), 45–49 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmir.2014.09.002
Almaghrabi, N.: A study of knowledge and awareness of radiation exposure risk in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Int. J. Adv. Res. 4(7), 1852–1856 (2016). https://doi.org/10.21474/ijar01/1008
American College of Radiology: ACR—Society of Pediatric Radiology (SPR) Practice Guideline for Imaging Pregnant or Potentially Pregnant Adolescents and Women with Ionizing Radiation, vol. 1076, pp. 1–23. American College of Radiology (ACR) (2018). https://www.acr.org/-/media/ACR/Files/Practice-Parameters/Pregnant-Pts.pdf
Asefa, G., Getnet, W., Tewelde, T.: Knowledge about radiation related health hazards and protective measures among patients waiting for radiologic imaging in Jimma University Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia. Ethiop. J. Health Sci. 26(3), 227–236 (2016). https://doi.org/10.4314/ejhs.v26i3.5
Chiesa, A.M., do Nascimento, D.D.G., Braccialli, L.A.D., de Oliveira, M.A.C., Ciampone, M.H.T.: A Formação de Profissionais da Saúde: Aprendizagem significativa à luz da Promoção da Saúde. Medicina 12(2), 236–240 (2007)
Corbett, R.H.: What do patients really know or want to know about X-rays ? In: 10th International Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association, pp. 10–150 (2000).
Costa, C., Preto, L., Rodrigues, V.: O Conhecimento dos utentes sobre os riscos da radiação-x. In: Saúde: Do Desafio Ao Compromisso, February, pp. 313–325. https://bibliotecadigital.ipb.pt/handle/10198/12133
Direção Geral da Saúde: Plano de ação para a literacia em saúde Portugal 2019–2021, p. 6 (2018). https://www.dgs.pt/em-destaque/programa-nacional-de-educacao-para-a-saude-literacia-e-autocuidados.aspx
EVITA: EVITA (Associação de Apoio a Portadores de Alterações nos Genes Relacionados com Cancro Hereditário) (2019). https://www.evitacancro.org/
Fazenda, I.: Empowerment e participação, uma estratégia de mudança, pp. 1–9. Centro Português de Investigação e História e Trabalho Social (2006)
Frush, D.P., Applegate, K.: Computed tomography and radiation: understanding the issues. J. Am. Coll. Radiol. 1(2), 113–119 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacr.2003.11.012
Goske, M.J., Bulas, D.: Improving health literacy: informed decision-making rather than informed consent for CT scans in children. Pediatr. Radiol. 39(9), 901–903 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-009-1322-6
Hricak, H., Brenner, D.J., Adelstein, S.J., Frush, D.P., Hall, E.J., Howell, R.W., McCollough, C.H., Mettler, F.A., Pearce, M.S., Suleiman, O.H., Thrall, J.H., Wagner, L.K.: Managing radiation use in medical imaging: a multifaceted challenge. Radiology 258(3), 889–905 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.10101157
Instituto Nacional de Estatística: Inquérito Nacional de Saúde 2014 (INE, 2016) (2016). https://www.ine.pt/xurl/pub/263714091
Jończyk-Potoczna, K., Pucher, B., Strzelczuk-Judka, L., Buraczyńska-Andrzejewska, B., Więckowska, B., Krauss, H., Biliński, P., Wojtyła-Buciora, P.: The awareness of caregivers about their children’s exposure to ionizing radiation accompanying medical procedures: the assessment study. Int. J. Occup. Med. Environ. Health 32(1), 65–73 (2019). https://doi.org/10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01223
Khadem-Rezaiyan, M., Dadgarmoghaddam, M., Gol, A.S.: Promoting health literacy is a necessary action on the outskirts based on the real condition there. Electron. Phys. 8(10), 3057–3061 (2016). https://doi.org/10.19082/1817
Lam, D.L., Larson, D.B., Eisenberg, J.D., Forman, H.P., Lee, C.I.: Communicating potential radiation-induced cancer risks from medical imaging directly to patients. Am. J. Roentgenol. 205(5), 962–970 (2015). https://doi.org/10.2214/AJR.15.15057
Lumbreras, B., Vilar, J., González-Álvarez, I., Guilabert, M., Pastor-Valero, M., Parker, L.A., Vilar-Palop, J., Hernández-Aguado, I.: Avoiding fears and promoting shared decision-making: how should physicians inform patients about radiation exposure from imaging tests? PLoS ONE 12(7), 1–14 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180592
McCollough, C.H., Bushberg, J.T., Fletcher, J.G., Eckel, L.J.: Answers to common questions about the use and safety of CT scans. Mayo Clin. Proc. 90(10), 1380–1392 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.07.011
Naqvi, S.T.S., Batool, S.W., Rizvi, S.A.H., Farhan, K.: Awareness of hazards of X-ray imaging and perception regarding necessary safety measures to be taken during X-ray imaging procedures among patients in public sector tertiary hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. Cureus 11(5). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.4756
NUCLIRAD: NUCLIRAD (Núcleo de Desenvolvimento dos Técnicos de Radiologia) (2019). https://ndtradiologia.wixsite.com/nuclirad
OECD: Medical technologies. In: Health at a Glance 2019: OECD indicators, vol. 5(2). OECD. https://doi.org/10.1787/4dd50c09-en
Pahade, J., Couto, C., Davis, R.B., Patel, P., Siewert, B., Rosen, M.P.: Reviewing imaging examination results with a radiologist immediately after study completion: patient preferences and assessment of feasibility in an academic department. Am. J. Roentgenol. 199(4), 844–851 (2012). https://doi.org/10.2214/AJR.11.8064
PORDATA: Densidade populacional segundo os Censos. Francisco Manuel Dos Santos, Lisboa (2020a). https://www.pordata.pt/Municipios/Densidade+populacional+segundo+os+Censos-591
PORDATA: População residente do sexo feminino, estimativas a 31 de Dezembro: total e por grupo etário. Francisco Manuel Dos Santos, Lisboa (2020b). https://www.pordata.pt/Portugal/População+residente+do+sexo+feminino++média+anual+total+e+por+grupo+etário-11
PORDATA: População residente do sexo feminino com 15 e mais anos: total e por nível de escolaridade completo mais elevado. Francisco Manuel Dos Santos, Lisboa (2020c). https://www.pordata.pt/Portugal/População+residente+do+sexo+feminino+com+15+e+mais+anos+total+e+por+nível+de+escolaridade+completo+mais+elevado-2103
PORDATA: População Residente segundo os Censos: total e por estado civil. Francisco Manuel Dos Santos, Lisboa (2020d). https://www.pordata.pt/Portugal/População+residente+segundo+os+Censos+total+e+por+estado+civil++-17
Schuster, A.L., Forman, H.P., Strassle, P.D., Meyer, L.T., Connelly, S.V., Lee, C.I.: Awareness of radiation risks from CT scans among patients and providers and obstacles for informed decision-making. Emerg. Radiol. 25(1), 41–49 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-017-1557-8
Shyu, J.Y., Sodickson, A.D.: Communicating radiation risk to patients and referring physicians in the emergency department setting. Br. J. Radiol. 89(1061) (2016). https://doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20150868
Silva, C.F., Guerra, T.: Volume ou Valor? O Papel do Radiologista na Gestão dos Exames Radiológicos. Acta Médica Portuguesa 30(9), 628 (2017). https://doi.org/10.20344/amp.8253
Sin, H.K., Wong, C.S., Huang, B., Yiu, K.L., Wong, W.L., Chu, Y.C.T.: Assessing local patients’ knowledge and awareness of radiation dose and risks associated with medical imaging: a questionnaire study. J. Med. Imaging Radiat. Oncol. 57(1), 38–44 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9485.2012.02471.x
Singh, N., Mohacsy, A., Connell, D.A., Schneider, M.E.: A snapshot of patients’ awareness of radiation dose and risks associated with medical imaging examinations at an Australian radiology clinic. Radiography 23(2), 94–102 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2016.10.011
Skromov de Albuquerque, A., Mastrocola, L.E.: Radiação e Exames Diagnósticos: Qual o risco real? Revista Da Sociedade de Cardiologia Do Estado de São Paulo 27(2), 82–87 (2017). https://doi.org/10.29381/0103-8559/2017270282-7
Street, M., Brady, Z., Van Every, B., Thomson, K.R.: Radiation exposure and the justification of computed tomography scanning in an Australian hospital emergency department. Intern. Med. J. 39(11), 713–719 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1445-5994.2009.01956.x
Takakuwa, K.M., Estepa, A.T., Shofer, F.S.: Knowledge and attitudes of emergency department patients regarding radiation risk of CT: effects of age, sex, race, education, insurance, body mass index, pain, and seriousness of illness. Am. J. Roentgenol. 195(5), 1151–1158 (2010). https://doi.org/10.2214/AJR.09.3847
Ukkola, L., Oikarinen, H., Henner, A., Honkanen, H., Haapea, M., Tervonen, O.: Information about radiation dose and risks in connection with radiological examinations: what patients would like to know. Eur. Radiol. 26(2), 436–443 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-015-3838-5
Ukkola, L., Oikarinen, H., Henner, A., Haapea, M., Tervonen, O.: Patient information regarding medical radiation exposure is inadequate: patients’ experience in a university hospital. Radiography 23(4), e114–e119 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2017.04.001
Yücel, A., Karakaş, E., Bülbül, E., Koçar, İ., Duman, B., Onur, A.: Knowledge about ionizing radiation and radiation protection among patients awaiting radiological examinations: a cross-sectional survey. Med. J. Kocatepe 22(March 2008), 25–31 (2009)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Barros, B., Serranheira, F. (2023). Women Radiation Exposure Prevention: The Effect of Distinct Radiological Literacy Levels. In: , et al. Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health IV. Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, vol 449. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12547-8_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12547-8_13
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-12546-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-12547-8
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)