A 5-Year Retrospective Analysis of Ionizing Radiation Dose to Hybrid Operating Room Personnel in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The annual average effective dose (ED) for operating room personnel (ORP) in Saudi Arabia was estimated from the period of 2015–2019 using thermoluminescent dosemeters. A retrospective analysis was conducted on annual EDs for 7530 ORP working across 52 hospitals. These workers were only exposed to radiation in the operating room. The annual average ED over the period of 5 years was found to be 0.59 mSv with no incidence of a dose above the annual dose limit of 20 mSv. The maximum annual ED reported was 15 mSv for an operating room worker in 2019. More than 88% of the workers received an annual ED of <1 mSv. The study concluded that the work environment in hybrid operating rooms across Saudi Arabia is safe. However, it is always recommended that workers take every protective measure when dealing with ionization radiation.