Importance of establishing radiation protection culture in Radiology Department.

The increased use of ionization radiation for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, the rapid advances in computed tomography as well as the high radiation doses delivered by interventional procedures have raised serious safety and health concerns for both patients and medical staff and have necessitated the establishment of a radiation protection culture (RPC) in every Radiology Department. RPC is a newly introduced concept. The term culture describes the combination of attitudes, beliefs, practices and rules among the professionals, staff and patients regarding to radiation protection. Most of the time, the challenge is to improve rather than to build a RPC. The establishment of a RPC requires continuing education of the staff and professional, effective communication among stakeholders of all levels and implementation of quality assurance programs. The RPC creation is being driven from the highest level. Leadership, professionals and associate societies are recognized to play a vital role in the embedding and promotion of RPC in a Medical Unit. The establishment of a RPC enables the reduction of the radiation dose, enhances radiation risk awareness, minimizes unsafe practices, and improves the quality of a radiation protection program. The purpose of this review paper is to describe the role and highlight the importance of establishing a strong RPC in Radiology Departments with an emphasis on promoting RPC in the Interventional Radiology environment.

[1]  W. Huda,et al.  Effective doses in radiology and diagnostic nuclear medicine: a catalog. , 2008, Radiology.

[2]  Donald L. Miller,et al.  OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION DOSES TO OPERATORS PERFORMING CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION PROCEDURES , 2008, Health physics.

[3]  C J Martin,et al.  ICRP Publication 113. Education and training in radiological protection for diagnostic and interventional procedures. , 2009, Annals of the ICRP.

[4]  Stephen Balter,et al.  Fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures: a review of radiation effects on patients' skin and hair. , 2010, Radiology.

[5]  E. Vañó,et al.  RADIATION PROTECTION IN PEDIATRIC INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY: AN IAEA PILOT PROGRAM IN LATIN AMERICA , 2011, Health physics.

[6]  Stephen Balter,et al.  Occupational Radiation Doses to Operators Performing Fluoroscopically-Guided Procedures , 2012, Health physics.

[7]  M. Bell,et al.  Radiation dose reduction in the invasive cardiovascular laboratory: implementing a culture and philosophy of radiation safety. , 2012, JACC. Cardiovascular interventions.

[8]  G. S. Panayiotakis,et al.  A review of patient dose and optimisation methods in adult and paediatric CT scanning. , 2012, European journal of radiology.

[9]  Sheila Weinmann,et al.  Use of diagnostic imaging studies and associated radiation exposure for patients enrolled in large integrated health care systems, 1996-2010. , 2012, JAMA.

[10]  K. P. Kim,et al.  Radiation exposure from CT scans in childhood and subsequent risk of leukaemia and brain tumours: a retrospective cohort study , 2012, The Lancet.

[11]  Zhonghua Sun,et al.  Radiation-Induced Noncancer Risks in Interventional Cardiology: Optimisation of Procedures and Staff and Patient Dose Reduction , 2013, BioMed research international.

[12]  Sheila Weinmann,et al.  The use of computed tomography in pediatrics and the associated radiation exposure and estimated cancer risk. , 2013, JAMA pediatrics.

[13]  J. Mathews,et al.  Cancer risk in 680 000 people exposed to computed tomography scans in childhood or adolescence: data linkage study of 11 million Australians , 2013, BMJ.

[14]  A. Ugazio,et al.  Radiation risks knowledge in resident and fellow in paediatrics: a questionnaire survey , 2015, Italian Journal of Pediatrics.