This qualitative study explores the medical radiation workers’ (MRWs) beliefs with the support of the theory of planned behaviour’s constructs regarding the use of personal dosimeters in order to identify the facilitating factors and barriers to practising good personal dose monitoring. The exploration was conducted through semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 63 MRWs from the public, private, and university hospitals. Belief statements from the informants were organized under the behavioural, normative, and control belief, as guided by the theory. A thematic analysis found that a majority of informants acknowledged the benefits of using dosimeters. However, several factors influenced the actual usage. The informants were hesitant to use the dosimeter as the loss of the device involved an expensive penalty. They also mentioned that delayed dosimeter supplies due to late budget approval in the hospitals and some other reasons had got them disconnected from the monitoring system. The workers’ attitudes and social norms highly induced their dosimeter usage as well; some perceived themselves to be at low risk for high exposure to radiation, and forgetfulness was also mentioned as a reason for lack of adherence. Device physical factor influenced low dosimeter use too. This study highlighted some unique findings in Asian settings. A better understanding of the underlying reasons for the lack of dosimeter use will be useful in developing strategies to increase good practices in personal radiation monitoring.
BackgroundRadioprotective garments protect medical radiation workers from exposure to radiation at workplace. However, previous studies have found poor adherence to the use of radioprotective garments.ObjectivesWe explored the perceptions and practices related to the use of radioprotective garments among medical radiation workers in public hospitals, and sought to understand the reasons for non-adherence.Design and settingA qualitative approach was applied by conducting face-to-face in-depth interviews with 18 medical radiation workers from three university hospitals using a semi-structured interview guide.ResultsFive themes emerged with respect to perceptions on the use of radioprotective garments: (i) the dilemmas in practising radiation protection, (ii) indication of workers' credibility, (iii) physical appearance of radioprotective garments, (iv) practicality of radioprotective garment use, and (v) impact on workflow. Actual lack of radioprotective garment use was attributed to inadequate number of thyroid shield and other garments, radioprotective garments' unsightly appearance including being dirty and defective, impracticality of using radioprotective garments for some nuclear medicine procedures, disruption of workflow because of workers’ limited movements, attitudes of workers, and organisational influences.ConclusionMedical radiation workers demonstrated a definitive practice of using radioprotective aprons, but often neglected to use thyroid shields and other garments. Availability and hygiene are reported as the core issues, while unclear guidelines on practical use of radioprotective garments appear to lead to confusion among medical radiation workers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first qualitative study of its kind from a middle-income Asian setting.
The aims of this study are (1) to determine the scattered radiation dose levels in routine fluoroscopy procedures and (2) to compare them with the equivalent chest x-rays and also (3) to monitor common techniques and radiation safety measures taken by the medical officers. The study covered a sample of 105 fluoroscopic procedures performed by 18 medical officers. Each officer wore a personal pocket dosimeter inside the lead gown during each procedure. A digital dosimeter was placed near the detector of the fluoroscopy unit while a survey meter was positioned at the control panel area to record the dose levels. There were 14 types of examination included in this study. The total number of images captured was found to be the highest in barium swallow examination with 115 images, almost five times higher compared to the common practices. The longest screening time was observed in barium enema examination which is 9.15 seconds. The median of the scattered dose level was the highest in barium meal examination (165.50 µSv) which is equivalent to 8.28 times of average dose impart by chest x-ray examinations. The number of images and the length of screening time depend on the competency levels of the medical officers. They capture as many images as possible to avoid missing any abnormalities, therefore it will always be better if the fluoroscopist is consulted during each case. They should also consistently practice essential protection by minimizing exposure time, maximizing distance from the source tube and utilizing the radiation shielding.
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