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

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 ۸ to June ۷ ۲۰۲۰ including radiologists practicing in French-speaking sub-Saharan African countries. Data were collected electronically via a google form.Results: Of the ۱۴۲ radiologists surveyed, ۴۵.۸% had already completed an internship in Europe, ۳.۵۲% in a nuclear medicine department and ۷۲.۵۴% had a nuclear medicine department in their country of practice. Among these radiologists, ۲۱.۱۳% knew the three main techniques of nuclear medicine and only ۹.۱۵% knew that nuclear medicine allows functional, metabolic and molecular studies. On average, ۵۶.۸% were aware of clinical indications for the main fields of nuclear medicine. In ۴۷.۱۸% of cases, they thought that scintigraphic imaging was more irradiating than radiological imaging, ۷۱.۱% knew about hybrid imaging techniques, ۴۳.۶۶% had read a scientific article on nuclear medicine, ۴.۹۳% had attended a nuclear medicine conference and ۲۸.۹% 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 ۹۵.۷۷% considered it essential to create a nuclear medicine department in their country.Conclusion: The level of knowledge of radiologists in French-speaking subSaharan Africa about nuclear medicine was, on the whole, unsatisfactory with a generally encouraging perception. 

کلیدواژه ها:

Nuclear Medicine ، Medical Imaging ، Scintigraphic Imaging Radiologists ، French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa