Effects and Challenges of Nuclear Medicine: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Health Professionals' Perceptions in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND

Nuclear medicine plays a pivotal role in diagnosis and treatment through the use of radiopharmaceuticals. It also presents significant health and safety challenges due to occupational exposure to ionizing radiation. As nuclear medicine continues to expand across Saudi Arabia, evaluating healthcare professionals' knowledge, training adequacy, adherence to safety protocols, and perceived risks is essential to ensuring sustainable and safe practice.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine the practical effects and challenges in nuclear medicine, assess knowledge and perceptions of radiation safety, evaluate occupational exposure doses, and explore institutional challenges among nuclear medicine professionals across Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

This cross-sectional survey enrolled 110 nuclear medicine professionals from all five geographic regions of Saudi Arabia using a structured, self-administered questionnaire distributed via Google Forms (Google LLC, Mountain View, CA, USA). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software, version 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), employing descriptive statistics and chi-square tests (p ≤ 0.05).

RESULTS

Respondents were predominantly male (69.1%) and Saudi nationals (98.2%), with 58.2% working in government hospitals. While 70% expressed moderate-to-high confidence in radiation knowledge, only 45.5% were familiar with dose limits, and 22.8% reported insufficient training. Among those with monitoring data, 5.5% reported maximum annual exposures exceeding 10 millisieverts (mSv). Notably, 77.3% worked 40-50 hours weekly, and 47.3% reported high occupational stress.

CONCLUSION

Significant gaps persist in safety training, dose-limit familiarity, and protective measure adherence. Comprehensive strategies are needed to enhance safety culture, ensure continuous education, and enforce radiation protection protocols in nuclear medicine departments across Saudi Arabia.