{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T02:28:09Z","timestamp":1774924089157,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,11]],"date-time":"2026-03-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773187200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Health Serv."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n \n Clinicians\u2019 overutilization of medical\n imaging increases patients<\/jats:sans-serif>\n \u2019\n exposure<\/jats:sans-serif>\n to ionizing radiation (IR). Assessing clinicians\u2019 knowledge, decision-making, and potential for unnecessary imaging is therefore essential. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare professionals in Kazakhstan regarding imaging procedures involving IR.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study\n was conducted between June 2024 and May 2025 to assess healthcare professionals<\/jats:sans-serif>\n \u2019\n knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding medical imaging involving IR<\/jats:sans-serif>\n . A thirty-item questionnaire was used, including a\n knowledge section scored on a scale of 0\u201310, with higher scores indicating greater knowledge of ionizing radiation and imaging safety<\/jats:sans-serif>\n .\n \n Group comparisons were performed using independent\n t<\/jats:italic>\n -tests or one-way ANOVA for continuous variables and chi-square tests for categorical variables. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine predictors of CT scan requests per month (treated as a continuous count variable), with a\n p<\/jats:italic>\n -value \u22640.05 considered statistically significant.\n <\/jats:sans-serif>\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Of 250 distributed questionnaires, 218 were completed (response rate: 87.2%). Nearly two-thirds (68.8%) of respondents were female, with a mean age of 29.5\u2009\u00b1\u20096.9 years, representing diverse medical specialties. The\n mean knowledge score was 50.5<\/jats:sans-serif>\n \u2009\u00b1\u2009\n 5.9, and<\/jats:sans-serif>\n did not differ by gender or geographic location (independent\n t<\/jats:italic>\n -test,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009&gt;\u20090.05). However, clinicians aged &gt;35 years and those working in public hospitals had significantly higher knowledge (one-way ANOVA,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.010; independent\n t<\/jats:italic>\n -test,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.048).\n In multivariable<\/jats:sans-serif>\n linear\n regression, clinicians aged &lt;34 years (<\/jats:sans-serif>\n \u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u2009\n \n 0.401; 95% CI: 0.202\u20130.300;\n p<\/jats:italic>\n <\/jats:sans-serif>\n \u2009\u2264\u2009\n 0.05), those with &lt;5 years of experience (<\/jats:sans-serif>\n \u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u2009\n \n 0.338; 95% CI: 0.311\u20130.403;\n p<\/jats:italic>\n <\/jats:sans-serif>\n \u2009\u2264\u2009\n 0.05), and clinicians in high-volume urban settings (<\/jats:sans-serif>\n \u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u2009\n 0.455; 95% CI:<\/jats:sans-serif>\n \u2212\n \n 0.281 to 0.391;\n p<\/jats:italic>\n <\/jats:sans-serif>\n \u2009\u2264\u2009\n 0.05) were associated with a higher number of CT requests per month.<\/jats:sans-serif>\n Notably, 24.6% reported ordering CT scans without clear clinical indications, influenced by workload pressures, patient expectations, fear of malpractice, and the need to expedite diagnostics. Additionally, 38% rarely reviewed prior imaging studies before ordering CT scans.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n \n There is\n an observed gap<\/jats:sans-serif>\n in clinicians\u2019 knowledge and imaging practices. These findings highlight the need for targeted educational interventions, improved access to prior imaging records, and organizational strategies to optimize\n medical imaging practices<\/jats:sans-serif>\n and reduce unnecessary patient exposure to ionizing radiation.\n However, these results should be interpreted with caution due to the cross-sectional study design, convenience sampling, and reliance on self-reported data.<\/jats:sans-serif>\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/frhs.2026.1779949","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,11]],"date-time":"2026-03-11T06:52:41Z","timestamp":1773211961000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare professionals toward radiation safety in Kazakhstan: a cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"6","author":[{"given":"Ainara","family":"Darbayeva","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Astana Medical University","place":["Astana, Kazakhstan"]},{"name":"National Scientific Medical Center","place":["Astana, Kazakhstan"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tairkhan","family":"Dautov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical and Academic Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center","place":["Astana, Kazakhstan"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nurgali","family":"Nurmanbekov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Inpatient Radiology, University Medical Center","place":["Astana, Kazakhstan"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Galiya","family":"Orazova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Astana Medical University","place":["Astana, Kazakhstan"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Aiman","family":"Musina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Astana Medical University","place":["Astana, Kazakhstan"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Elmira","family":"Yelshibayeva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CT and MRI Department, RSE \u201cMedical Centre Hospital of the President's Affairs Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan\u201d","place":["Astana, Kazakhstan"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zarnigor","family":"Madumarova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Radiology, Andijan State Medical Institute","place":["Andijan, Uzbekistan"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bakyt","family":"Duisenbayeva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department Diagnostic Radiology, University 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