The Internet and the medical radiation science practitioner

Purpose: The Internet is an important information source for health practitioners providing immediate access to the most current health and medical information. Factors limiting practitioner access to the Internet have been identified and the literature shows that access to the Internet varies across and within health professions. There is therefore a need for each health profession to investigate practitioner access to the Internet. There has been, however, no identified empirical research investigating medical radiation science (MRS) practitioner access to or use of the Internet. This research sought to establish the professional use of Internet-based tools by Australian MRS practitioners and issues affecting access to the Internet within MRS workplaces. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used in this research. These included interviews with 28 MRS practitioners from the four areas of specialisation, namely nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, radiography and sonography and a survey of MRS practitioners. In 2007 a 4-page postal survey was sent to a random sample of 1142 MRS practitioners with a response rate of 32.8%.