Evaluation of Radiographers’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Performance Regarding Gonadal Shielding in Diagnostic Radiology Examinations: Southern Khorasan Province Hospitals of Iran

Background: nowadays, ionizing radiation is increasingly used in medicine. one of the most frequent x-ray examinations is pelvic radiography. gonads are susceptible in the pelvic area. gonadal shielding (gs) is a useful method to reduce the received dose by gonads. despite the benefits of using gonadal shielding, it is rarely used by radiographers. methods: this cross-sectional study was carried out in ten governmental hospitals with 300 radiographs. results: the radiographers’ knowledge of using gs had a value equal to 59.1%. however, the radiographers did not have enough information on the subject, although their awareness about the significance of gs was acceptable. conclusions: although the radiographers believed in the necessity of using gs for pelvic, abdominal, and spine examinations, they used no shields.