Assessment of Health Professionals’ Attitudes on Radiation Protection Measures

Abstract

(1) Background: Health professionals’ knowledge, beliefs and perceptions concerning radiation protection may affect their behaviour during surgery and consequently influence the quality of health services. This study highlights the health professionals’ average knowledge level and captures the beliefs, perceptions, and behaviours in a large public Greek hospital. (2) Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out, including health professionals working in operating rooms. One hundred thirty-two staff members participated by responding to an original questionnaire. The sample consisted of nurses, radiographers and medical doctors of various specialties involved daily in surgical procedures where ionizing radiation is required. The survey was conducted from March to June 2021, and the response rate was 97%. (3) Results: The level of overall knowledge of health professionals regarding radiation protection safety was not satisfactory. Females and employees with a lower level of education had more misconceptions about radiation and radiation protection. Employees of younger ages and with less previous experience were more likely to have negative emotions towards radiation exposure. Finally, employees with fewer children tended to express physical complaints caused by their negative emotions due to radiation exposure. (4) Conclusions: Health professionals’ lack of basic and specialized knowledge concerning radiation protection safety had a negative impact on the provision of health services. The continuing training of the staff seemed to be the only solution to reverse this trend. The training should highlight how radiation exposure can be minimized, safeguarding health professionals’ trust and sense of security by significantly improving their working environment.

Impact of Magnetic Resonance Imaging on Healthcare in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

“…International organizations have created regulatory advice, such as the European Basic Safety Standards Directive and the International Basic Safety Standards, which may assist LMICs in introducing safety and quality in MRI through regulatory measures. However, clinical MRI practice varies significantly between and within nations, even when safety and quality regulations are in place [ 36 ]. The use of quality assurance programs, such as clinical audits, is advised to track compliance with regulatory standards.…”

Principles of Radiation Protection for Patients and Medical Staff

“…The literature is based on epidemiologic data from huge radiation exposures at doses far greater than is employed in the medical context, making it difficult to research the consequences of long-term low-dose exposure to ionizing radiation (Vassileva,et al [3]). Evidence from recent studies shows that medical radiation may raise the incidence of cataracts, cancer, and perhaps genetic illnesses by a small amount (Alotaibi,et al [11,8]). Ionizing radiation is emitted when patients are examined with x-rays or radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic purposes (Erkan,et al [7,9]).…”

“…However, doctors may avoid radiation hazards by using shielding gear. Exposure may be minimized by limiting time spent in radiation fields, moving away from radiation generators, and using physical shields (Goula, et al [8]). There are a number of strategies available to shorten the time spent exposed.…”

“…Radioactivity is the process by which radioactive atoms release ionizing radiation (Erkan,et al [7]). Electromagnetic radiation (such as gamma or X-rays) and particulate radiation (such as neutrons, beta or alpha particles) make up ionizing radiation (Goula, et al [8]). Globally, the percentage of people exposed to radiation as a result of medical procedures is expected to rise to 20% by 2020 (Della Vecchia, et al [9]).…”

Awareness of Medical Radiologic Technologists of Ionizing Radiation and Radiation Protection

“…The survey results were reviewed to determine whether perceptions of radiation also differ when the nature of the radiological work and the modalities used, and the radiation doses were significantly different. Since the Fukushima nuclear accident, various surveys have been conducted on the general public, doctors, medical students, and others [44][45][46][47]; however, few surveys have been conducted on medical radiologic technologists. Therefore, in this paper, we retrospectively review and report the survey data.…”