1. Current Status on Medical Radiation Safety Management in Asia: A Questionnaire Survey.
- Author
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Yamashina, H, Sakai, T, Akatsu, T, Takatsu, Y, and Okuda, Y
- Subjects
INDUSTRIAL safety equipment ,RADIATION protection ,PROFESSIONS ,CONFERENCES & conventions ,MEDICAL equipment safety measures ,QUALITY assurance ,QUALITY control ,HEALTH promotion - Abstract
The rapid growth of radiological equipment used in medicine in Asian countries has been witnessed for over a decade. There is a substantial need for radiographers/ radiological technologists (hereinafter referred to as RTs) to update their knowledge and skills for the safe use of radiological equipment. This study assessed the general awareness of radiation safety and current practices in Quality Control and Quality Assurance of radiological equipment, among RTs in Asian countries. A cross-sectional web-based study was generated using the Google Form and sent through social media platforms and email. Snowball sampling was applied to collect data from 412 RTs in 18 Asian countries except for Japan. The data were collected from February 10th to July 31st, 2022. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis methods. 367 valid responses, out of 412 replies, have been used. RT was found to be the most performing quality control followed by radiologists, QA technologists, medical physicists, RT assistants, and manufacturing engineers. 121 (33.6%) were not aware of DRLs, 21.7 for NCRP/ICRP recommendations, and 19% for ALARA principles. 5 respondents answered there was no one performing QC in their facility. While 283 (78.8%) learned QA/QC procedures, 34 (9.8%) RTs reported that they have not performed equipment inspection before power-up in the past year. Patient dosimetry and verification of radiation protection and QC equipment and materials are less practiced among respondents, 22.8% and 23.0%, respectively. The majority of respondents reported that lack of resources (51.5%), lack of learning opportunities (46.9%), shortage of staff (13.9%), and lack of managerial support (39.2%) were hindering the QC practice. It is crucial for RTs to improve their awareness of radiation safety and to address the barriers to QC practices. It is also necessary to introduce QC training courses, especially for less experienced RTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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