RESEARCH ARTICLE


Prospective Health Professionals’ Knowledge, Awareness, Attitude, and Practice Concerning MRI Safety



Fahad H. Alhazmi1, Walaa M. Alsharif1, Faisal A. Al Alrehily1, Sultan S. Aljohani1, Ziyad H. Alarawi1, Shrooq T. Aldahery2, Moawia Gemeraddin1, 3, *, Khalid M. Aloufi1, Abdullah F. Alshamrani1, Sultan A. Alshobi1
1 Department of Diagnostic Radiology Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia
2 Department of Applied Radiologic Technology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
3 Faculty of Radiological Sciences and Medical Imaging, Alzaiem Alazhari University, Khartoum, Sudan


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Creative Commons License
© 2023 Alhazmi et al.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Diagnostic Radiology Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia; E-mail: gameraldinm@gmail.com


Abstract

Background:

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been applied widely in clinical practices to acquire cross-sectional images of the body. Although MRI uses non-ionizing radiation, there are serious bioeffect hazards that can be associated with the use of strong electromagnetic fields (EMFs).

Purpose:

This study aims to explore prospective health professionals’ knowledge, awareness, attitude, and practice levels concerning MRI safety.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted on medical and allied medical students at Taibah University using an online questionnaire survey. Data were reported using descriptive statistics and Chi-squared tests to determine the differences based on selected demographic variables.

Results:

120 Prospective healthcare professionals completed the questionnaire. In the knowledge domain, 50% of participants agreed that patients with tattoos could be scanned. In the awareness domain, roughly 40% of participants reported being unaware of the new compatible pacemakers. In the attitude domain, less than 50% of participants were interested in attending MRI safety seminars. Only one significant borderline finding was identified concerning the awareness level between genders (P=0.053).

Conclusion:

This study showed that the knowledge level of MRI safety among prospective health professionals is within the acceptable level and also showed a high level of awareness and a moderately positive attitude regarding MRI safety. The results of this study are helpful for higher education institutions which will enable them to modify their curriculum content to fill the knowledge gaps in this area.

Keywords: Magnetic resonance imaging, Strong magnetic field, MRI safety zones, Prospective healthcare professionals, Patients, Radiation.