Evaluation of Radiation Protection (Knowledge, Attitude and Practices) and Radiation Side Effects Awareness Among Health Workers in Bungoma County Referral Health Facilities

Abstract

Study background: There has been an increase in ionizing radiation producing diagnostic equipment in Kenya. While its use is highly beneficial in medical diagnosis, exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation to patients and health workers are hazardous. Hence, health workers must have adequate knowledge of radiation protection to ensure their safety and that of their patients. However, the knowledge and practices of healthcare workers regarding radiation protection in Western Kenya are largely unknown due to the paucity of data. Broad objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices on radiation protection and radiation side effects awareness among health workers in the Bungoma County Referral Health Facilities. Study design and sites: A cross-sectional observational study was carried in Bungoma County Referral Health Facilities (Bungoma County Referral Hospital and Webuye County Hospital). Participants and methods: The study included nurses, clinical officer interns, clinical officers, medical officer interns, medical officers, residents and specialists in the study facilities. A sample size of 339 conveniently selected health workers was included in the study. Research assistants were employed for the actual data collection after a one-day training exercise. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data with mean or median for continuous variables and frequency and percentages for the categorical variables. The Chi-square test was used to determine the association between knowledge, attitude, and practices with p-value of < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Utility of the study: The study aimed to identify gaps in knowledge on radiation protection and radiation side effects in order to inform the need and design of interventions measures.