Congress:
EuroSafe Imaging 2020
Keywords:
Education and training, Radiation safety, Audit and standards, Digital radiography, Radioprotection / Radiation dose, Paediatric, Management, Action 5 - Performance indicators for radiation protection management, Workforce, Not applicable
Authors:
L. Bowden, C. Saidlear, D. Hunters, T. McCrudden, N. smith, A. Snow
DOI:
10.26044/esi2020/ESI-07828
Background/introduction
Council Detective 2013/59/EURATOM was transposed into Irish Law with the enactment of Statutory Instruments SI 256 (2018 & 2019) and SI 30 (2019). While both laws incorporate the basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation, SI 256 deals with the topic in relation to patient exposure, while SI 30 applies it to radiation workers and members of the public (Figure 1). The former law is regulated by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) while the latter is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring (ORM). In a hospital environment, both laws are applicable to ensure radiation protection for all staff, patients and members of the public.
Fig. 1: Transposition of Council Detective 2013/59/EURATOM into Irish law
Radiation Protection needs to be promoted by all staff involved in the use of ionising radiation. However, in a hospital environment, it is usually championed by Radiology and Medical Physics staff. In particular, the Radiation Safety/Protection Officer (RSO/RPO), usually a specifically trained radiographer, has the task of ensuring high standards in radiation protection are maintained within the Hospital. However, SI 30 (and Council Detective 2013/59/EURATOM) state that the ‘the task of the radiation protection officer may be carried out by a radiation protection unit established within an undertaking’.
In July 2019, a new Outpatient and Urgent Care Centre of Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) opened in Dublin Ireland (Figure 2). This satellite unit has a radiology department consisting of two general X-ray rooms and a mobile X-ray system. As part of the regulatory licence conditions for use of these X-ray systems, a named RPO was required. As there was no individual available to take on the role of RPO for this facility, a Radiation Protection Unit (RPU) was established. This RPU consisted of a Radiation Protection Adviser (RPA), a Medical Physics Expert (MPE), a Clinical Specialist Radiographer (CSR), two Radiographer Services Managers (RSMs) and a Consultant Radiologist.
Fig. 2: New Outpatient and Urgent Care Centre of Children’s Health Ireland
This work is to describe how this multi-disciplinary approach to radiation protection resulted in a successful department where protection of staff, patients and members of the public from the hazards of ionising radiation is central to the ethos of the team involved.