Charting a sustainable future in radiology: evaluating radiologists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward environmental responsibility.

IF 4.1 2区医学 Q1 RADIOLOGY, NUCLEAR MEDICINE & MEDICAL IMAGING

Insights into Imaging Pub Date : 2025-02-17 DOI:10.1186/s13244-025-01917-7

Mohamed M Abuzaid, Nora Almuqbil

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives: This study assesses radiologists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding healthcare sustainability. With radiology's substantial environmental impact, sustainable practices are crucial to reduce energy use, waste, and resource depletion. The study evaluates radiologists' awareness, engagement, and perceived barriers to sustainable practices in the UAE, identifying areas for improvement and intervention.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among UAE radiologists in hospitals, clinics, and medical centers from August to October 2024. Developed and piloted by the research team, the survey addressed demographic details, sustainability knowledge, attitudes, current practices, and implementation barriers. Convenience sampling yielded 111 responses, analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics to identify trends and associations.

Results: The findings indicate moderate knowledge levels, with 31.8% of radiologists agreeing to understand sustainability concepts. While 36.4% strongly agreed on its importance, only 20% felt it was prioritized at their workplace. Key barriers included lack of training (40.5% agreed, 29.7% strongly agreed) and insufficient financial support (37.8% agreed, 25.2% strongly agreed). Digital documentation and waste-reduction practices were observed but varied in consistency.

Conclusion: Radiologists display a positive attitude toward sustainability but face significant implementation barriers, primarily in institutional support and resources. Addressing training gaps and increasing leadership commitment are essential to advancing sustainable practices. Future initiatives should emphasize policy support, education, and resource allocation to foster a sustainable radiology sector.

Critical relevance statement: This article critically examines radiologists' knowledge, attitudes, and barriers to sustainable practices, highlighting the need for institutional support and targeted training to advance environmental responsibility and sustainable practices within clinical radiology.

Key points: Radiologists support sustainability but lack knowledge of specific practices. Key challenges include limited training, support, and funding. Commitment, training, and resources are essential for sustainable radiology.

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来源期刊

Insights into Imaging Medicine-Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging

CiteScore

7.30

自引率

4.30%

发文量

182

审稿时长

13 weeks

期刊介绍： Insights into Imaging (I³) is a peer-reviewed open access journal published under the brand SpringerOpen. All content published in the journal is freely available online to anyone, anywhere! I³ continuously updates scientific knowledge and progress in best-practice standards in radiology through the publication of original articles and state-of-the-art reviews and opinions, along with recommendations and statements from the leading radiological societies in Europe. Founded by the European Society of Radiology (ESR), I³ creates a platform for educational material, guidelines and recommendations, and a forum for topics of controversy. A balanced combination of review articles, original papers, short communications from European radiological congresses and information on society matters makes I³ an indispensable source for current information in this field. I³ is owned by the ESR, however authors retain copyright to their article according to the Creative Commons Attribution License (see Copyright and License Agreement). All articles can be read, redistributed and reused for free, as long as the author of the original work is cited properly. The open access fees (article-processing charges) for this journal are kindly sponsored by ESR for all Members. The journal went open access in 2012, which means that all articles published since then are freely available online.