Beliefs and behaviors of radiographers concerning “Digital Chest Radiography”: Importance of Training Courses

Abstract

Background: Chest radiography is the first choice for the investigation of cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Radiologic technologists are responsible for managing the radiation exposure to patients and providing adequate image quality according to the ALARA concept. This study is thus aimed to assess the Beliefs and behaviors of Radiographers on digital chest radiography in medical imaging departments. Method: A descriptive questionnaire-based study was carried out on 65 radiographers. By implementing the checklist, 390 digital chest radiographs were assessed during and after each procedure to evaluate the practice of radiographers. Results: The mean values of the radiographers’ knowledge and practice were 85.48 and 78.79 (out of 100), respectively. 5.38% of digital chest radiography (21 of 390) led to repetition. Conclusions: Radiographers should be properly trained on digital chest radiography for reducing the patient radiation dose and improve image quality and radiological interpretation.