Assessment of Awareness and Practice of Professional Ethics Among Radiographers in South South Nigeria

Professional ethics underpin the practice of radiography and govern the relationships between radiographers, patients, colleagues, and the healthcare institution. Adherence to ethical principles including patient confidentiality, informed consent, professional boundaries, and non-discriminatory practice is regulated by the Nigerian Radiographers Registration Board and professional codes of conduct. This study assesses the awareness of professional ethics standards and their practice among radiographers in South South Nigeria, focusing on hospitals in Rivers, Delta, and Cross River States. A cross-sectional descriptive survey is conducted among 180 practising radiographers selected through proportionate stratified sampling. A validated Professional Ethics Awareness and Practice Questionnaire measures awareness of NRBN ethical guidelines, informed consent practice, patient privacy compliance, and reporting of unethical colleague conduct. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests are computed in SPSS. Literature from South South Nigerian radiology contexts identifies limited formal ethics training beyond undergraduate instruction and absence of departmental ethics review processes as the primary gaps in professional ethics governance. The NRBN Code of Professional Conduct and the European Federation of Radiographer Societies ethical guidelines provide the normative framework. Findings are expected to reveal high awareness of core principles alongside practice gaps in informed consent documentation and confidentiality compliance in busy clinical environments. Recommendations address ethics continuing professional development, departmental ethics champions, and integration of ethics review into regular radiology governance meetings in South South Nigerian hospitals. Keywords: professional ethics, radiographers, South South Nigeria, NRBN, informed consent.