Asia Oceania Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Biology

Asia Oceania Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Biology

Knowledge and perception of nuclear medicine by radiologists in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa

Document Type : Others

Authors
Kokou Adambounou 1, 2
Koffi Assogba Ahonhyi 2
Gilles David Houndetoungan 3
Pakisba Ali Ouedraogo 4
Bidamin Ntimon 2
Fabrice Sodogas 1
Lantam Sonhaye 2
Victor Adjenou 2
1 Biophysic and Medical Imaging departments, Campus Teaching Hospital, University of Lome, Togo
2 Radiology department, Campus Teaching Hospital, University of Lome, Togo
3 Department of Biophysics and Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences of Cotonou, University of Abomey- Calavi, Benin
4 Radiology department, Ouahigouya, University of Ouaga, Burkina Fasso
10.22038/aojnmb.2021.56679.1392
Abstract
Objective(s): to assess the knowledge and perception of nuclear medicine by radiologists in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.
Methods: cross-sectional study conducted from April 8 to June 7 2020 including radiologists practicing in French-speaking sub-Saharan African countries. Data were collected electronically via a google form.
Results: Of the 142 radiologists surveyed, 45.8% had already completed an internship in Europe, 3.52% in a nuclear medicine department and 72.54% had a nuclear medicine department in their country of practice. Among these radiologists, 21.13% knew the three main techniques of nuclear medicine and only 9.15% knew that nuclear medicine allows functional, metabolic and molecular studies. On average, 56.8% were aware of clinical indications for the main fields of nuclear medicine. In 47.18% of cases, they thought that scintigraphic imaging was more irradiating than radiological imaging, 71.1% knew about hybrid imaging techniques, 43.66% had read a scientific article on nuclear medicine, 4.93% had attended a nuclear medicine conference and 28.9% had recommended a scintigraphic imaging examination in their report. Half of them would like to see nuclear medicine and radiology merged into a single specialty and 95.77% considered it essential to create a nuclear medicine department in their country.
Conclusion: The level of knowledge of radiologists in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa about nuclear medicine was, on the whole, unsatisfactory with a generally encouraging perception.
Keywords
Nuclear Medicine
Medical Imaging
Scintigraphic Imaging Radiologists
French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa
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Asia Oceania Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Biology
Volume 10, Issue 1
January 2022
Pages 68-77