Sociodemographic determinants of knowledge on the figure of radiologist: results of a survey in large university hospital

Background: Despite overlaying an irreplaceable role as a key diagnostic tool in modern\udmedicine, the role of radiologist still appears to be unclear to patients.\udMethods: We conducted a survey in outpatient clinic of Radiological Sciences Department of the\udUniversity Hospital “A. Gemelli” in Rome, aiming to assess how correctly patients identify the figure of\udthe radiologist. The patients were interviewed by the trained physician using structured questionnaire.\udResults: We included the number of 259 patients. Majority were female 63.3%, most were 60-69\udyears old (24.3%), have finished second grade secondary school (35.1%) and were subjected to\udmagnetic resonance (28.6%) while the least were subjected to mammography (8.1%). Only 38.7%\udanswered correctly to question No 1 “Who performed your examination?”, and only 30.9% correctly\udidentified the radiologist as a person interpreting the exam (question No 2 “Who is going to interpret\udyour radiological examination?”). Overall, 16.8% responded correctly to the both questions.\udSignificantly less patients with primary school (OR: 0.18, CI 95% 0.06-0.49) and first grade secondary\udschool (OR: 0.37, CI 95% 0.18-0.75) correctly addressed the question No 1 in compare to those with\udsecond grade secondary school. The first grade secondary education (OR: 0.43, CI 95% 0.20-0.92)\udwas inversely associated with correct answer to question No 2. Patients with primary education were\udsignificantly less prone to give both correct answers (OR: 0.12, CI 95% 0.02-0.60).\udConclusion: We report insufficient knowledge among patients on radiologist’s role in healthcare\udsystem. The level of knowledge is associated with level of education