Background: Nowadays, ionizing radiation is increasingly used in medicine. One of the most frequent X-ray examinations is pelvic radiography. Gonads are susceptible in the pelvic area. Gonadal shielding (GS) is a useful method to reduce the received dose by gonads. Despite the benefits of using gonadal shielding, it is rarely used by radiographers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in ten governmental hospitals with 300 radiographs. Results: The radiographers’ knowledge of using GS had a value equal to 59.1%. However, the radiographers did not have enough information on the subject, although their awareness about the significance of GS was acceptable. Conclusions: Although the radiographers believed in the necessity of using GS for pelvic, abdominal, and spine examinations, they used no shields.

Background:The X-ray is a critical diagnostic and therapeutic tool with harmful effects. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has some recommendations regarding applying radiation protection principles.Objective: This study aimed to determine the standards of the typical radiation protection in radiographic departments of hospitals in Iran. Material and Methods:In this cross-sectional descriptive study, the usual radiation protection standards in places, such as the physical environment of the control and waiting rooms, radiographic devices, the physical space of the darkroom, and shielding facilities, were investigated using a checklist in Iran. A total of 84 hospitals in 51 cities throughout Iran were randomly selected, and the checklists were distributed to the radiation protection officers. In hospitals with multiple radiography rooms, the radiation protection officers were asked to complete the checklist about the room with the highest workload as a baseline to evaluate their facilities. Finally, the authors reviewed all checklists.Results: In radiology departments in control and waiting rooms, the mean of radiation protection was 71.9%. Pregnancy and radiation warning signs and labels were present in 96.1% of the parameters, while gonad shielding protocols were not presented. Conclusion:The principles of observed radiation protection were unsatisfactory, and it is recommended that surveillance be conducted at frequent intervals.