ASSESSMENT OF AWARENESS AND PRACTICE OF IONIZING RADIATION PROTECTION PROCEDURES AMONG EXPOSED HEALTH CARE WORKERS | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Occupational Medicine | ||
| Article 6, Volume 44, Issue 1, January 2020, Pages 529-544 PDF (465.5 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejom.2020.67771 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Salah Eldeen NG* 1; Farouk SA2 | ||
| 1Department of Community, Environmental and Occupational Medicine | ||
| 2Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Introduction: Occupational exposure to ionizing radiation is the result of exposure at work sites for diagnostic and therapeutic practices. Ionizing radiation is an energy type in the form of electromagnetic waves or particles. Radiographic imaging is extremely valuable as a diagnostic tool in medical fields leading to different health hazards to health care workers (HCWs) and to the surrounding environment if safety measures are not observed. Aim of work: To assess awareness and practice of ionizing radiation protection procedures among (HCWs) occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation at Zagazig University Hospitals. Materials and methods: All HCWs (technicians, nurses, physicians, and physicists) occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation in diagnostic radiology (DR) department, Clinical Oncology and Nuclear Medicine (CO&NM) department, and Nuclear Medicine (NM) unit who accepted to share in the study were included as study population (No=195). A cross-sectional study was carried out at the previous departments in Zagazig University Hospitals. A self-administered, structured questionnaire composed of three sections, A, B and C was the study tool. Section A comprised questions regarding demographic data, section B included questions about awareness of radiation protection procedures, and section C was composed of questions about safe practices of HCWs regarding ionizing radiation exposures. Results: The study revealed that satisfactory awareness of radiation protection procedures among HCWs in the three departments was (51.3 %) with no statistically significant difference between different radiation units. But HCWs had inadequate practice score (18%) regarding the use of safety measures of radiation exposure. Satisfactory awareness of radiation protection procedures of exposed workers was highly significantly associated with higher educational level (44.2%), years of experience ≥ 10 years (36.8 %), being a physician (73.7%) and getting training courses (61.1%). Also, adequate practice of radiation protection procedures among exposed workers was found to be highly significantly associated with higher educational level (74.3%), years of experience ≥ 10 years (68.6%), being a physician (80.0%) and getting training courses (71.4%). Conclusion: satisfactory awareness about radiation protection procedures among exposed HCWs was noted while inadequate practices of radiation protection procedures in the workplace were found. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Ionizing radiation; Radiation Hazards; Radiation Protection Procedures; Awareness and Personal Protective Equipments | ||
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