Congress:
EuroSafe Imaging 2019
Keywords:
Action 8 - Radiation protection training and learning material, Radioprotection / Radiation dose, Conventional radiography, Fluoroscopy, CT, Radiation safety, Education and training
DOI:
10.26044/esi2019/ESI-0103
Background/introduction
Human factors is the most important in ensuring quality and safety in radiology. The education,
training,
qualification and competence of the respective health professionals underpin radiation protection and safety in medical uses of ionizing radiation.
The International Basic Safety Standards (BSS) published in the IAEA Safety Requirements series GSR Part 3 [1] requires the government of each Member State to ensure that requirements for education,
training,
qualification and competence are established and that arrangements are in place for the provision of the necessary education and training of medical staff,
and the regulatory body to ensure the application of these requirements in the process if authorization nd during the periodic inspections of the medical radiation facility.
The management of the medical radiation facility has the responsibility to ensure that all the health professionals in that facility with responsibilities for protection and safety have appropriate education,
training,
qualification and competence.
In radiology,
the health professional involved include:
- Radiological medical practitioner - a specialist who independently performs or oversees radiological procedures within a given specialty - radiologists,
cardiologists, dentist,
and other doctors using imaging to guide their interventions.
- Medical radiation technologist (also called radiographer,
radiological technologist) who has competence to perform procedure on delegation from the radiological medical practitioner.
- Medical physicist - a health professional with competence to perform independently in one or more specialities.
These three groups of professionals have specific responsibilities for radiation protection of patients,
and GSR Part 3 requires that the competence of persons is assessed by the State by having a formal mechanism for registration,
accreditation or certification of specialists [1].
Other groups of prefessionals include [2]:
- Other health professionals who participate in a procedure,
e.g.
nurses,
anaesthetists etc.
- they have responsibility for only their own occupational radiation protection,
but still should have appropriate specialization and the respective radiation protection and safety education,
training,
qualification and competence.
- Referring medical practitioners who has a crucial role in the justification of a given radiological procedure for a given patient - for them it is recommended to include education and training in radiation protection and safety as part of the general medicine degree curriculum,
especially at the time when clinical rotations begin,
or as part of the corresponding specialty education and training programme.
- Suppliers,
installation,
maintenance and servicing personnel - their training should include radiation protection and safety,
not only for their own occupational radiation protection and radiation protection of the staff of the medical radiation facility where they are working,
but they should also have a good working knowledge of patient radiation protection in the context of the types of medical radiological equipment and software they are servicing.
- Radiation protection officers - should be competent in radiation protection and safety matters with respect to occupational and public radiation protection,
relevant for given medical uses of ionizing radiation.
The ICRP Publication 113 provides recommendations for the education and training in radiological protection for diagnostic and interventional procedures [3],
and the European Commission as result of the MEDRAPET project published guidelines on education and training in radiation protection for medical exposure in which learning outcomes in radiation protection for the healthcare professionals of different groups have been identified [4].
The IAEA has been providing free training material on radiation protection for health profesionals,
available for free download and use from the Radiation Protection of Patients website.