Occupational radiation exposure and its health effects on interventional medical workers: study protocol for a prospective cohort study

Abstract

IntroductionAlthough fluoroscopically guided procedures involve a considerably high dose of radiation, few studies have investigated the effects of radiation on medical workers involved in interventional fluoroscopy procedures. Previous research remains in the early stages and has not reached a level comparable with other occupational studies thus far. Furthermore, the study of radiation workers provides an opportunity to estimate health risks at low doses and dose rates of ionising radiation. Therefore, the objectives of this study are (1) to initiate a prospective cohort study by conducting a baseline survey among medical radiation workers who involve interventional fluoroscopy procedures and (2) to assess the effect of occupational radiation exposure and on the overall health status through an in-depth cross-sectional study.Methods and analysisIntervention medical workers in Korea will be enrolled by using a self-administered questionnaire survey, and the survey data will be linked with radiation dosimetry data, National Health Insurance claims data, cancer registry and mortality data. After merging these data, the radiation organ dose, lifetime attributable risk due to cancer and the risk per unit dose will be estimated. For the cross-sectional study, approximately 100 intervention radiology department workers will be investigated for blood tests, clinical examinations such as ultrasonography (thyroid and carotid artery scan) and lens opacity, the validation of badge dose and biodosimetry.Ethics and disseminationThis study was reviewed and approved by the institutional review board of Korea University (KU-IRB-12-12-A-1). All participants will provide written informed consent prior to enrolment. The findings of the study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed scientific journals, conference presentations, and a report will be submitted to the relevant public health authorities in the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help with the development of appropriate research and management policies.

Occupational Radiation Exposure and Validity of National Dosimetry Registry among Korean Interventional Radiologists

“…We conducted a field survey of the interventional medical workers study in South Korea in 2017; the study protocol has been described previously in detail [ 16 ]. The study included a detailed questionnaire and personal dosimeter-monitoring of 56 interventional radiologists.…”

Radiation exposure and fluoroscopically-guided interventional procedures among orthopedic surgeons in South Korea

“…A detailed questionnaire was developed from a previous study for interventional medical radiation workers [ 17 ]. The questionnaire included demographics (date of birth, gender, workplace address), work history (job title, specialty, years since beginning work, total duration of work), work practices (proportion of interventional procedures performed for the recent year, working days per month, working hours per week, name of the main procedure performed, badge wearing, wearing protective equipment), and concern for developing radiation-associated diseases (5-point Likert scale).…”

Optical coherence tomography in peripheral arterial disease: A systematic review

“…The current standard in visualisation of vessels requires X-ray exposure, making interventional physicians a profession with the highest level of radiation exposure. 20 This retrospective study measured the procedural fluoroscopic times of patients that were treated with Pantheris device and showed a statistically significant decrease in median fluoroscopic exposure, when compared with 'atherectomy'(unspecified). Their mean total fluoroscopy time was at 23.7 minutes, while Selmon et al, 38 Schaefers et al, 39 Schwindt, et al 42 reported mean total fluoroscopy times of 38.6, 25.8 and 28 minutes, respectively, but these studies did not use the Pantheris device.…”