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Congress: ECR25
Poster Number: C-25516
Type: Poster: EPOS Radiographer (scientific)
DOI: 10.26044/ecr2025/C-25516
Authorblock: I. M. Cardoso, L. Freire, M. C. P. Ribeiro; Lisbon/PT
Disclosures:
Isabel Margarida Cardoso: Nothing to disclose
Luis Freire: Nothing to disclose
Margarida Carmo Pinto Ribeiro: Nothing to disclose
Keywords: Radiographers, Radioprotection / Radiation dose, Digital radiography, Fluoroscopy, Equipment, Instrumentation, Radiation safety, Education and training
Purpose Both patients and healthcare professionals are exposed to ionising radiation sources during diagnostic and/or therapeutic procedures or examinations. In order to optimise and limit this exposure within the legal limits, healthcare professionals use protective barriers through the use of individual radiation protection equipment (RPE). RPE must be in perfect condition to be effective [1,2]. The main objective of this study was to develop and implement a control protocol to verify and maintain the existing RPE's in a hospital facility. To...
Read more Methods and materials The RPE quality control programme was divided into four distinct phases: Inventory/registration [3,4]; Three types of inspection: visual, tactile and radiological [3,5,6]; Periodicity of inspection [4, 7-9]; Rejection or acceptance criteria [9,10]. In order to identify and classify the existing RPE's, an inventory has been developed which includes:- The serial number;- The unit to which they belonged;- Model (apron, full body, skirt or vest);- Size;- Brand;- Lead equivalency;- Date of work;- Acquisition date;- RPE inspection date;- Name of inspection manager. The following documents were produced: validation...
Read more Results 88 RPEs were analysed and categorised. 30 were aprons, 8 were vest and skirt sets, 1 was a single vest, 31 were thyroid necklaces and 10 were gonadal protectors, all collected from four different units when procedures involving exposure to ionising radiation were performed. Visual inspection revealed that 30 RPEs showed significant damage to the external structure. More commonly, there was damage to the sheath and to the external film [5,8]. [fig 2] [fig 3] With regard to tactile inspection, 22 RPEs were...
Read more Conclusion The periodic quality control of the RPE reinforces the conformity of its structure in order to ensure maximum effectiveness in the protection of workers and patients exposed to ionising radiation. It is recommended that the programme described in this study, which was later transformed into a Best Practices Guidance, be developed on an annual basis. This should be done in accordance with the current workflow of this institution.The control and verification conditions established in this study can be adapted to...
Read more References Sowby FD. Annals of the ICRP 117. Vol. 6, Annals of the ICRP. 2010. 1 p. Bartal G, Vano E, Paulo G. Get Protected! Recommendations for Staff in IR. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol [Internet]. 2021;44(6):871–6. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00270-021-02828-y Kellens PJ, De Hauwere A, Gossye T, Peire S, Tournicourt I, Strubbe L, et al. Integrity of personal radiation protective equipment (PRPE): a 4-year longitudinal follow-up study. Insights Imaging [Internet]. 2022;13(1):4–11. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13244-022-01323-3 Bawazeer O. Quality assurance of personal radiation shield for kilovoltage photon: A...
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