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AWARENESS OF INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS IN A NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY

Introduction: Interventional radiology (IR) is an emerging specialty which is more established in the western nations but yet to take root in Nigeria. It involves the use of radiological imaging modalities to perform minimally invasive procedures for patients. The specialty can only grow and be sustained when there is continuous supply of manpower which starts by engendering the interest of medical students. Objective: To assess the level of awareness of IR among medical students following exposure to radiological posting. Methods: This was a cross sectional prospective questionnaire based study carried out at the University of Benin. Subjects were final year and penultimate final year medical students of the school of medicine of the University of Benin. The questionnaires consisted of 16 questions that assessed the students' awareness of interventional radiology. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Science, SPSS statistics (Version 23; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results: Eighty six of the students (90.5%) knew the definition of IR. Sixty five of the students (69.4%) had poor knowledge of IR. Sixty six students (69.5%) knew that IR patients can be admitted into the hospital while 74 students (77.9%) knew that IR doctors can conduct ward rounds in the hospital. Seventy nine (83.2%) of the students knew that IR outpatients' clinic can be conducted. Many (63.2%) knew the pathway of training for interventional Radiologists in Nigeria. Only 24 of the students (25.3%) were interested in IR in the future. The most common reason for not considering a career in IR in the future was lack of interest (46). Conclusion: There is an abysmally low level of awareness of IR among students in this centre, although this may not be true reflection of the whole country. Hence, a nationwide study may need to be conducted.