TRAINING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BASIC PRINCIPLES OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE FOR HEALTH WORKERS AT THE PRIMARY CARE FACILITY OF KARYA HUSADA GENERAL HOSPITAL

Abstract

Rapid advances in nuclear medicine have opened up opportunities for increasingly sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, yet its implementation in primary care settings still faces significant challenges, creating gaps in access and utilization of this essential modality. Nuclear medicine, which utilizes radioisotopes for imaging and therapy, plays a crucial role in the early detection of a wide range of medical conditions, from malignancies to cardiovascular and neurological diseases, and offers more personalized and effective therapeutic modalities. The theoretical significance of this research lies in understanding and enhancing the capacity of frontline healthcare workers to integrate the fundamental principles of nuclear medicine, an area often still concentrated in specialist referral hospitals. Practically, improving the knowledge and skills of primary healthcare workers is essential to bridge the gap in access to quality nuclear medicine services, expedite diagnosis, and optimize patient management. Recent data demonstrate the increasing prevalence of chronic and degenerative diseases requiring precision diagnosis, while the availability of nuclear medicine imaging equipment outside tertiary centers remains limited, highlighting the urgency of empowering primary healthcare workers. Global trends also indicate a shift toward a more integrated healthcare model, with primary care facilities playing a more active role in screening and early diagnosis. However, the most prominent research gap is the lack of comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of specific training programs designed for healthcare workers in primary care facilities in adopting and implementing the basic elements of nuclear medicine, including understanding the basic principles of radiation, general indications for procedures, and radiation safety aspects. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a training program on the application of basic principles of nuclear medicine in improving the knowledge, attitudes, and practice readiness of healthcare workers in the primary care facility of Karya Husada General Hospital, with the main hypothesis that structured training will significantly improve the level of knowledge and change the attitudes of healthcare workers towards the application of basic principles of nuclear medicine in their primary care facilities, based on the theoretical framework of Adult Learning Theory and Health Belief Model. This study used a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test-post-test control group design approach on 100 healthcare workers (general practitioners, nurses, radiographers) selected through purposive sampling and randomly divided into intervention (n=50) and control (n=50) groups. Knowledge was measured using a validated structured questionnaire (CVI=0.85, Cronbach's Alpha=0.92), and attitudes were assessed using a Likert scale. The research procedure included administering a pre-test, two days of intensive training for the intervention group, and a post-test for both groups. Data were analyzed using independent and dependent t-tests with p < 0.05. The results showed that the training significantly increased the knowledge of the intervention group from an average of 55.2 ± 8.7 to 89.5 ± 6.1 (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 3.98), while the control group showed no significant change (p = 0.08). The post-test difference between the groups was highly significant (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 3.55). Attitudes also improved substantially in the intervention group from 3.2 ± 0.5 to 4.6 ± 0.3 (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 2.80), in contrast to the control group (p = 0.25). Secondary analysis identified sessions on radiation fundamentals and diagnostic indications as the most impactful components, along with an unexpected finding of increased confidence in patient communication. The primary conclusion of this study is that the specifically designed training program proved highly effective in increasing knowledge and changing attitudes toward nuclear medicine among primary care providers, providing theoretical contributions to the health education literature and practical contributions to health policy development.