Congress:
EuroSafe Imaging 2021
Keywords:
Professional issues, Conventional radiography, CT, Fluoroscopy, Radiation safety, Quality assurance
Authors:
K. Van Slambrouck, H. Bosmans, P. Aerts
DOI:
10.26044/esi2021/ESI-11817
Results or findings
The toolkit is available in Dutch and French and consists of a manual, brochures and posters, educational material and information sheets. It focuses on the use of X-rays in conventional, CT and interventional settings for informing both patients and possible carers and comforters.
The manual serves as a guideline to introduce the concepts in a department. It contains the necessary information on the legislation, references to supporting material, solutions for frequently occurring issues (e.g. on the role of referrers, on minors presenting without their parents, …), suggestions for information pathways. The information pathways describe which actions can be taken for each step on the route of the patient through the department following a graded approach in relation to the possible risk. This is described for ambulatory and hospitalised patients undergoing an X-ray or CT and for interventional procedures. Special attention is given to patients from the emergency department. A translated example of the schematic overview for an ambulatory patient us is shown in fig 1.
The toolkit contains the following brochures:
- X-rays: information for patients (*)
- X-rays: information for carers and comforters (*)
- X-rays: information for interventional procedures (*)
- X-rays: aftercare for interventional procedures (*)
- My child needs to undergo an X-ray or scan
- Avoid radiation during pregnancy
posters:
- X-rays: information for patients (*)
- Avoid radiation during pregnancy
and one movie on pregnancy, see fig 2.
Brochures or posters with an (*) are available in Word-format and can be adapted or included in hospital specific documents and lay-out (when correct referencing is respected).
There is educational material for staff on radiation protection and on how to inform patients. The staff should be knowledgeable themselves but should also be able to transmit this information towards the patient and therefore both the content of the message and the way it is communicated are included in the educational material. There are references to already existing materials, but also presentations on the following topics:
- Basic concepts of radiation protection
- Information requirements in practice
- Information requirements in interventional radiology
- Communicating on the benefits and risks of X-ray imaging: legislative framework
- Communicating on the benefits and risks of X-ray imaging: how to start?
Finally, information sheets are created. These information sheets give a short overview of risks and comparisons for negligible (<0.1 mSv), minimal (0.1-1 mSv), very low (1-10 mSv), low (10-30 mSv) and moderate (30-100 mSv) risk. The staff can fall back on these sheets during their daily practice, but the sheets can also be used in conversations with patients. A translated example of the sheet ‘very low’ is shown in fig 3.
All documents are available un Dutch and in French at the website of the competent authority (FANC):