Awareness of Iodinated Contrast Media Reactions and its Management among Healthcare Personnel: A Cross-sectional Descriptive Study

Abstract

Introduction: Iodinated Contrast Media (ICM) are important drugs that play a significant role in radiologic investigations such as Computed Tomography (CT) and X-rays. Although important in practice, the administration of ICM is associated with the risk of adverse effects ranging from mild reactions like nausea and urticaria to severe anaphylaxis that can be fatal. Aim: To evaluate the level of knowledge among healthcare professionals on the adverse reactions of ICM and their management at Radiology Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional descriptive study that involved 60 healthcare professionals who were recruited at the Department of Radiodiagnosis, Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre (DYPMC), Pimpri, Pune, Maharashtra, India. The study was conducted over a period of five months, from 1st November 2025 to 31st March 2026. Purposive sampling method was employed. The participants responded to a validated questionnaire that was analysed using descriptive statistics in WinPepi Software Version 11.65. Results: The majority (60.0%) of respondents belonged to the age group of 25-30 years; 91.7% had received contrast reaction training earlier. The strengths of the present study include high recognition of mild reactions (98.3%) and knowledge about preprocedural renal function tests (91.7%). Important gaps have been found: only 40.0% gave the correct name of the first-line drug for anaphylaxis (epinephrine against 55.0% of those who picked antihistamines), only 26.7% knew the right route of drug application (intramuscular injection), and only 3.3% knew that there is no need for breastfeeding interruption following ICM administration according to current American College of Radiology (ACR) guidelines. Conclusion: Though overall awareness was found satisfactory, dangerous pharmacological and guideline knowledge gaps remain. Simulation-based training of radiology staff in accordance with current ACR and European Society of Urogenital Radiology (ESUR) guidelines is highly recommended.