Knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to breast cancer screening among female Jordanian university employees: A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: To improve participation in breast screening programs, the level of knowledge about BC, attitudes, and practices of women in different sections of society must be understood. This study aimed to measure the level of knowledge of BC risk factors, signs and symptoms and determine current mammography practices among female employees at Jordanian universities. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on female employees at Jordanian government universities. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire that included: sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge of BC risk factors, knowledge of BC symptoms and knowledge, attitude and practice of mammography as an early detection method. RESULTS: A total of 362 participants completed the questionnaire. Overall, 174 scored ≥50% correct answers regarding BC risk factors, while 231 scored ≥50% correct answers regarding BC signs and symptoms. Half of the participants (n = 184, 50.8%) understood mammography to be an early BC detection method. Among those participants, 95 (51.6%) were eligible for screening and 39 (21.2%) had had a previous mammogram. The main reason for not engaging in mammography was the absence of BC signs and symptoms (37.2%). Profession, educational level and family history of BC were associated with increased knowledge of BC risk factors, signs and symptoms (p = 0.01). Lecturers in medical faculties exhibited the highest level of knowledge about mammography compared to participants in other professions (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Only 79 participants had good to excellent knowledge about BC. Participants' profession was the major indicator for awareness of BC and mammography as an early detection method. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings of this study reinforce the importance of providing BC educational programs for university employees in Jordan to increase awareness of BC and mammography.

Australian radiographers' awareness of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) in mammographic imaging.

INTRODUCTION: Women presenting for mammography occasionally have pacemakers or other cardiac-implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) in situ. This research investigates Australian radiographers' awareness of CIEDs in the diagnostic and screening settings. METHODS: A survey of radiographers with mammography experience in Australia was conducted using SurveyMonkey™. Respondents were asked if they could confidently identify images of devices and whether they had imaged them mammographically. A Chi-squared test of independence was used to compare the association between demographics and CIED awareness. A value of p < 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. RESULTS: There were 220 valid responses. All CIED types had been imaged. Most respondents had imaged a pacemaker (94.5%) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) (85.6%), compared to the three different implantable loop recorders (ILRs) (ILR-1: 63.4%; ILR-2: 14.1%; and IRL-3: 26.9% and the emerging subcutaneous ICDs (S-ICDs) (11.9%). Most respondents felt confident identifying the pacemaker (95%) and the ICD (86.1%). Only 19.4% of respondents could confidently identify the emerging S-ICD. CONCLUSION: A lack of awareness of new and emerging devices may impact approaches to imaging and present significant risk to patients. The lack of studies comprehensively describing devices and their mammographic appearance to support radiographers' knowledge and awareness highlights an urgent need to progress research in this area. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: As a part of continuing professional development, radiographers performing mammography must ensure they remain up to date with current and emerging technology, including CIEDs. This study has identified a lack of awareness of the different types of CIEDs currently being implanted and imaged, which may translate to unsafe imaging practices. There is an urgent need for further education to bridge this knowledge gap and ensure the safety of practice in imaging women with CIEDs. FOOTLINE: Mammography: CIED Imaging.

Knowledge, attitude, understanding and implementation of evidence-based practice among Jordanian radiographers.

INTRODUCTION: Evidence-based practice (EBP) has gained attention globally from healthcare professionals and researchers. The aim of this study was to assess Jordanian diagnostic radiographers' knowledge, attitude, education/knowledge, and skills related to EBP; and identify specific terms related to EBP. METHODS: A paper-based, self-administered questionnaire with two sections was used. The first section included 11 socio-demographic questions and the second section contained 56 questions regarding EBP categorized under seven distinct subscales. The data were imported into SPSS for analysis. RESULTS: Responses were received from 203 radiographers, most of them 135 (66.5%) aged 21-30 years. The majority of radiographers agreed or strongly agreed that the application of EBP is necessary for radiography practice, and 129 (63.6%) of radiographers learned the foundations of EBP as part of their academic preparation. Less than half of the participants stated that they completely understood the research terminology listed in the survey. Most participants had access to the internet and research databases, 79.3% (n = 161). The majority of participants, 63.1% (n = 128) stated that they always used their personal experience, as a source to make a clinical decision in radiography practice. The most common barrier to the implementation of EBP was insufficient time (63.5%, n = 129). CONCLUSION: This study showed that despite the positive attitude, and beliefs of radiographers toward EBP, and access to information resources, radiographers still need a higher level of confidence in their ability to engage in and implement EBP; including increased education to support the research skills needs to search and interpret publications. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings of this study may help inform restructure of the undergraduate radiography curriculum, training programs or other interventions required to promote or facilitate the adoption of EBP in Jordan.

Assessment and correlation between job satisfaction and burnout among radiographers.

INTRODUCTION: Previous research on job satisfaction (JS) and burnout has focused on physicians and nurses. However, limited work has evaluated radiographers' JS and burnout, factors affecting them and the correlation between them. The aim of this study is to assess the level and specific factors affecting burnout and JS among radiographers and to examine the correlation between them. METHODS: A questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic information and two validated instruments (Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel (MBI-HSS (MP)) and JS Survey (JSS)) was distributed to radiographers. The MBI included 22 questions and JSS consisted of 36 questions. Mean scores were used to compare responses between participants according to demographic characteristics. Correlation between JS and burnout was examined using Pearson correlation test, with P < 0.05 determining statistical significance. RESULTS: 308 radiographers returned a completed questionnaire, 48.4% of participants were male, 48.7% had 1-6 years of experience and 61.4% examined >25 patients per day. Total emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment scores were 28.7, 11.3 and 35.8 respectively. Most participants felt dissatisfied with pay (n = 221, 71.8%), opportunities for promotion (n = 202, 65.6%), fringe benefits (n = 239, 77.6%), contingent rewards (n = 231, 75.0%), operating procedures (n = 190, 61.7%) and communication (n = 162, 52.6%). Burnout was associated with work experience and caseload and JS was associated with section of work. Most of the JS domains were significantly inversely related to emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation domains. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization drew a significant positive correlation. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization drew a significant positive correlation. CONCLUSION: Participating radiographers are mostly dissatisfied about their jobs and they suffer a high level of emotional exhaustion. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: To avoid the consequences of burnout and decreased JS on individuals and organizations, efforts should be done in alleviating the main factors affecting them.

Knowledge of nosocomial infection control practices among radiographers in Jordan.

INTRODUCTION: Nosocomial infections add health-related and financial burdens on health systems. This study aims to evaluate the radiographers' knowledge of nosocomial infection control practices in Jordan. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based assessment was conducted. The main domains of the knowledge based test were the nature of nosocomial infections, standard precautions, and infection control practices specific to the radiology department. Comparison of knowledge among radiographers was assessed using the Student t-test and ANOVA. Multiple linear regression was used to find predictors of the knowledge score. RESULTS: The final analysis included 100 radiographers from educational, private, and public hospitals. Mean knowledge score was 66.2% (SD: 20.3%, range: 25.0-100%). Questions with the lowest correctly scored were about the main source of infections (17%), recapping used needles (27%), gloves use (27%), the necessity of using overshoes (26%) and a cap (26%) when there is a risk of biological fluid splashes, the necessity of using sterile gloves (7%) and protective masks (5%) during all invasive procedures, the manoeuvrability around a sterile field (54%), and the safety of passing the imaging plate to the scrub nurse in order to place it under the radiographer's direction (37%). Predictors of knowledge score were the academic degree and training status (R2 = 0.21, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Knowledge of infection control practices among Jordanian radiographers was moderate. Future training should focus on handling used needles, the use of protective barriers, and the manoeuvrability around sterile fields. Improved academic curriculum and on-site training could enhance knowledge in infection control practices.