Radiation Protection in Computed Tomography: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Radiologic Technology Interns at Academic Institutions in Calamba, Laguna

This study aimed to determine the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of radiologic technology interns regarding radiation protection in Computed Tomography (CT) at academic institutions in Calamba, Laguna. To achieve this, the study adopted a quantitative descriptive-correlational approach using total sampling among sixty-five (65) radiologic technology interns from three academic institutions. Data were gathered through a validated self-structured questionnaire with a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.933, and analyzed using frequency and percentage distribution, weighted mean, chi-square test of independence, and Spearman’s rank correlation. Based on the study’s findings, most respondents were female and had acquired 81–120 clinical internship hours in CT. The interns demonstrated a high level of knowledge in ionizing radiation, CT applications, and fundamental principles of radiation protection. Furthermore, the interns showed a high positive level attitude on their justification of clinical procedures, willingness to optimize radiation exposure, and values on radiation dose limits. Similarly, the interns displayed a high level of practices on radiation safety in terms of clinical procedures, dose optimization, and adherence to dose limits. The researchers also established a significant relationship between acquired clinical internship hours in CT and the interns' level of attitudes. Moreover, the results indicated that there is no significant relationship between the interns’ level of knowledge to their levels of attitudes and practices in CT. Overall, these findings suggested that a high level of knowledge does not inherently correspond to high positive attitudes and a high level of practices, indicating that other variables may influence the interns' KAP levels on radiation protection in CT.