knowledge of medical students on hazards of ionizing radiation

background: the use of the ionizing radiation in the medical practice has evolved since its beginnings. their benefit for the patient is considerable in term of comfort, diagnostic and therapeutic effectiveness. it is estimated that 30% to 50% of critical decisions in medical approaches is based on x-ray examination. using the x-ray as a diagnostic means by clinicians requires appropriate and accurate knowledge about its advantages and negative biologic effects. purpose: to evaluate the knowledge of medical students in clinical courses in birjand university of medical sciences on ionizing radiation hazards. methods: in this cross-sectional study, knowledge of medical students (in clinical courses) on 3 categories ( of basic principles of radiobiology, radiation protection and practical issues in radiation protection) assessed by a 20-item questionnaire which its reliability and validity had been well established. chi-square and independent-t tests were employed to analyze data gathered via these questionnaires. results: total number of medical students involved in this study was 100. mean knowledge score was 9.07+!-2.1 (for clerkship students, p 0.05) and 10.13+/-2.73 (for interns p 0.05). of clerkship students 51.4% and of interns 25.4% obtained good scores (p 0.03) in the radiobiology. but in the other categories (radiation protection and practical aspects of radiation protection) no group achieved good scores. conclusion: the results indicate that despite the importance of radiation and its consequent hazards, knowledge of medical students is not adequate. it is suggested that the content relevant to radiation and radioactive hazards in medical curricula should be revised, including quantitative and qualitative aspects of the subject. a reasonable step to more effective education regarding radiation and relevant issues is to integrate safety practices in clinical courses.