Investigation of the status of occupational radiation protection in Malawian hospital

Dosimetric monitoring is useful to limit exposures to ionising radiation in medical occupational settings, and reduce subsequent health risks. Scientific literatures, such as the UNSCEAR report 2017 and International Atomic Energy Agency Report 2014b, updated information on this subject; however, few African works have been found. This is the reason why we undertook this study, which summarises existing information on monitoring external radiation exposure doses for the whole body, using data from medical workers on this continent. Using standard terms and combining different keyword searches for radiation dose monitoring among radiology healthcare workers in Africa, from the titles, abstracts, and full texts, we found 3139 articles in the PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar and INIS databases. Two reviewers screened the retrieved publications based on predefined eligibility criteria to identify relevant studies, extract key information from each, and summarise the data in table form. A total of 20 potentially relevant articles were identified. Among these 20 articles, 15 reported the overall average annual effective dose. Studies included in this systematic review represent an inventory of the radiation protection of medical workers in various African countries, with a focus on the monitoring of occupational radiation exposure. The size of studied populations ranged between 81 and 5152 occupational exposed workers. The mean annual effective doses ranged from 0.44 to 8.20 mSv in all specialities of medical sectors, while diagnostic radiology ranged from 0.07 to 4.37 mSv. For the nuclear medicine and radiotherapy from medical groups, the mean annual effective dose varied between 0.56 and 6.30 mSv. Industrial and research/teaching sectors data varied between 0.38 to 19.40 mSv. In conclusion, more studies implemented on dosimetric monitoring in Africa are needed to get a real picture of occupational exposure in the continent.

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The Effect of Nurses' Virtual Learning on Knowledge and Practice of Observing X-Ray Protection Principles

حسنیان¹,

کرمی²,

وردنجانی³

et al. 2020

Avicenna J Nurs Midwifery care

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Increasing the level of knowledge about X-ray protection can play an important role in reducing the effects of radiation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of virtual education of nurses on adherence to X-ray protective principles. Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial on 90 nurses. Educational intervention was virtualized through social network. Questionnaires were completed before and after the intervention in both groups and the data were analyzed by paired and independent t-test using SPSS 24. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the level of protection against xrays in the intervention group before and after the intervention were 15.84±3.64, 30.2±26.3 and in the control group before and after the intervention was 14.08±4.45, 48.14±4.27, respectively. Mean and standard deviation of nurses' performance score before and after intervention in the intervention group were 2.8±1.03, 5.62±0.96 and 3.82±1.07, 3.93±1.03 in the control group before and after the intervention, respectively. The results of paired and independent t-test showed that the mean of performance and the mean score of nurses' knowledge about the application of the principles of X-ray protection before and after the intervention in the intervention group were significantly different; the mean score of nurses' performance and knowledge after intervention was increased (P=0.000). Conclusion: Learning based on cyberspace increases the level of protection knowledge and the performance of nurses against X-rays.

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Investigation of the status of occupational radiation protection in Malawian hospital

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Combatting effects of ionizing radiation exposure around uranium and gold mines in Sub-Saharan Africa

Combatting effects of ionizing radiation exposure around uranium and gold mines in Sub-Saharan Africa

A systematic review of occupational radiation individual dose monitoring among healthcare workers exposed in Africa

The Effect of Nurses' Virtual Learning on Knowledge and Practice of Observing X-Ray Protection Principles

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