Radiation exposure among medical professionals working in the Intensive Care Unit

Siddiqui, Suhail Sarwar; Jha, Ashish K.; Konar, Nambiraj; Ranganathan, Priya; Deshpande, Deepak D.; Divatia, Jigeeshu Vasishtha

doi:10.4103/0972-5229.140150

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…However, the ionizing radiation from bedside radiological procedures poses a risk of radiation exposure to ICU personnel. Although the reported scattered radiation was minimal in the ICU ward [2, 3], no radiation dose can be considered safe. Epidemiological data indicate that exposure to even low-dose radiation may result in solid cancers and leukemia [4–6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Radiation Exposure to Staff in Intensive Care Unit with Portable CT Scanner

Xie

Liao

Kang

et al. 2016

BioMed Research International

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Background. Bedside radiological procedures pose a risk of radiation exposure to ICU staff. The perception of risk may increase the degree of caution among the health care staff and raise new barriers preventing patients from obtaining prompt care. Objective. The aim of this study was to estimate the annual cumulative radiation dose to individual ICU staff. Methods. In this prospective study, forty subjects were required to wear thermoluminescent dosimeter badges during their working hours. The badges were analyzed to determine the exposure after 3 months. Results. A total of 802 radiological procedures were completed at bedside during the study period. The estimated annual dosage to doctors and nurses on average was 0.99 mSv and 0.88 mSv (p < 0.001), respectively. Residents were subjected to the highest radiation exposure (1.04 mSv per year, p = 0.002). The radiation dose was correlated with day shift working hours (r = 0.426; p = 0.006) and length of service (r = −0.403; p < 0.01). Conclusions. With standard precautions, bedside radiological procedures—including portable CT scans—do not expose ICU staff to high dose of ionizing radiation. The level of radiation exposure is related to the daytime working hours and length of service.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, few studies [2, 3, 9] investigate the radiation exposure in ICU ward, and none of them included the exposure from usage of portable CT scanner. CT scans involve larger radiation doses compared to conventional X-ray imaging procedures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiation Exposure to Staff in Intensive Care Unit with Portable CT Scanner

Xie

Liao

Kang

et al. 2016

BioMed Research International

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“…Accordingly, radiological examinations in ICUs are usually performed by using portable radiography devices. Portable radiological examinations dramatically increase nurses’ exposure to ionizing radiation (7). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The highest permitted level of occupational radiation exposure is 0.25 micro Sievert per hour (μSv/h) or 20 milisievert per year (mSv/y) (9). However, most hospital staff wrongly believe that all doses of ionizing radiation are harmful to humans and hence they have fear over portable radiological examinations (7). The consequent overprotection or under protection may cause considerable damage to patients and healthcare providers’ health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intensive Care Nurses’ Knowledge of Radiation Safety and Their Behaviors Towards Portable Radiological Examinations

Dianati¹,

Zaheri²,

Talari³

et al. 2014

Nurs Midwifery Stud

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Background:Radiological examinations for patients who are hospitalized at intensive care units are usually performed using portable radiography devices. However they may require knowledge and safety precautions of nurses.Objectives:The aim of the study was to investigate ICU nurses’ knowledge of radiation safety and their behaviors towards portable radiological examinations.Materials and Methods:In total, 44 intensive care nurses were recruited for this cross-sectional descriptive study using census sampling during April and May 2014. The study setting was at intensive care units of Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Kashan, Iran. An eleven-item questionnaire and a five-item checklist were used for evaluating nurses’ radiation protection knowledge and behaviors, respectively. An expert panel consisting of ten nursing and radiology faculty members confirmed the content validity of the questionnaire and the checklist. Moreover, a Geiger-Müller counter was used for measuring ionizing radiation during portable radiological examinations. Study data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 13.0. Mean, standard deviation, frequency and one-sample t test were used for description of the data. The level of significance was set at below 0.05.Results:The mean of participants’ radiation protection knowledge was 4.77 ± 1.38. The most prevalent radiation protection behavior of nurses was leaving the intensive care unit during portable radiological examinations. Only 6.8% of nurses stayed at the nursing station during radiological examinations. The highest dose of radiation was 0.11 micro Sievert per hour (μSv/h), which was much lower than the highest permitted level of radiation exposure i.e. 0.25 μSv/h.Conclusions:Portable radiological examinations did not expose healthcare providers to high doses of ionizing radiation. Nurses’ radiation protection knowledge was limited and hence, they require in-service education programs.

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“…Checklists should facilitate adherence to radiation safety precautions to ensure that ICU doctors are not exposed to hazardous radiation. [ 11 ]…”

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confidence: 99%