Evaluation of nuclear medicine awareness in Nigeria; perspective of Lagos state radiographers

Abstract

Diagnostic Nuclear Medicine makes use of radioisotopes with the aid of ionizing radiation for the early diagnosis of disease conditions. This study aims to assess the awareness
and knowledge of diagnostic nuclear medicine amongst radiographers in Lagos state and its importance in the field of diagnosis. Methods: The study is a descriptive, cross-sectional study
using questionnaires administered by the researcher without coercion. The questionnaires were administered to 175 participants. Ethical considerations were of paramount importance by
eligibility to be part of the category includes being a radiographer that works in Lagos State, under an RRBN certified institution. The questionnaire was divided into socio-demographic
section, awareness of nuclear medicine and the knowledge about the specialty. Data collected was tabulated, categorized and analysed with statistical software - IBMSPSS Statistics 21. Results: A total of 175 radiographers participated in this study. The age range of the respondents was between 20 – 60 years with a mean age of 34.7 years. 112 (64%) are between the ages of 20 and 35 years, 51 (29.1%) are between 36 and 50, while 12 (6.9%) are 51 years and above. 166 (94.9%) of radiographers admitted to having previous knowledge about nuclear medicine, while 9 (5.1%) said they had no prior knowledge of the medical specialty. 2(1.1%) were the only respondents who had participated in carrying out nuclear medicine procedures. 109 (62.3%) between the ages of 20 and 35 years which represents the youngest age group has the highest rate of awareness about nuclear medicine.162 (92.6%) of the respondents agreed the urgent need for the establishment of more standardized centres in Nigeria. Conclusion: Diagnostic nuclear medicine is a very important diagnostic specialty and highly essential in the medical sector of every country. Despite the level of awareness amongst radiographers, only 1.1% has participated in nuclear medicine procedures and this could be attributed to lack of equipments in Nigeria which also reflects the level of development as a whole.