Why Shielding Is Important

According to Schiska, these include time, distance, and shielding. One must accurately take the x-ray in a timely manner. The patient should not be exposed to the radiation for more than what is recommended. Next, one must use protective shielding to protect themselves and the patient from the radiation. According to the book, Radiation Protection in Medical Radiography, "Protective shielding is a structure or device made of certain materials such as concrete, lead, or lead-impregnated material that will adequately attenuate ionizing radiation." It is vital that the lens of the eye, reproductive organs, and the breast should be shielded from the radiation (Sherer 166). Lastly, one must also be at the correct and recommended distance from the equipment to ensure safety. This is the most important safety procedure because if one is standing too close to the equipment while in use, serious medical issues will arise. Radiologic technicians wear lead aprons, thyroid shields, and special goggles to protect themselves from the radiation, but distance is the number one procedure to carry out accurately. Effective communication is also a useful safety procedure for both the technician and the patient. The technician must treat the whole patient rather than just the area of concern. The radiologic technician should behave as compassionate professional to increase the chance

You should wear the correct PPE for the job i.e LEV when working in a closed environment. Read all hazard boards.

160. This is quite a significant jump from 1987, when the NCRP Report No. 93 stated that a mere 11% was attributed to “medical imaging with ionizing radiation.”1 (pp169-170CT) In 2012, Kyle Morford and his colleagues reported that “over the past decade CT has increased from 4% to 11% of all diagnostic imaging studies.”2 (p45) This increase in number of scans come with an increase in patient dose. When a chest CT is performed, a patient gets a dose of 8 mSv. When a radiographic exam of the chest is done in two projections, the dose is around 0.02mSv. Of course, there are patient factors and contrast administration to consider, but the difference between the two modalities is roughly 400% increase.3 (p705) Knowing this, why is shielding not practiced in computed

Some work in hospitals while others work in places like offices of physicians, medical and diagnostic laboratories, and outpatient care centers. They are on their feet for long periods of time and may need to lift or turn patients who are disabled. Because radiologic and MRI technologists work with equipment that uses radiation, they have to wear badges that measure radiation levels in the area. Also they have detailed records that are kept on their cumulative lifetime dose. Because they are around so much radiation, they have other things to keep them protected.

infections (Mowbray et al. 2013). For the intraoperative cholangiogram, the scrub team stood behind the x-ray shield, and the rest of the team, wore lead apron, to protect them from radiation during x-ray.

I agree with you that doses are very small. I see your point of caring for the patient and not necessarily use a lead shield. However, remember the rules of personal protection: Time, Dose and Distance. If you have a procedure that might take you an hour and you will spend it with a patient, you will be exposed to a higher dose of radiation. I would think that in this particular example, we should use a lead shield, because we want to minimize/ decrease our annual dose of radiation exposure. If we will neglect all the safety rules, we might be in trouble. You always wear your seat belt while driving, right? It will increase your chance of survival during a car accident. Some people neglect to do that, like my husband, and his risk of being

Emily has consistently met the needs of the physicians at the Fishers office, as well as, other offices. You can tell that the physicians value her skills, as she played a big role in identifying the issue with the Fishers clinic x-ray equipment. Emily has voiced the need to educate staff on radiation safety throughout her career here at OrthoIndy. Emily has demonstrated the ability to lead her co-workers by effectively coaching and teaching staff on radiation safety. In addition, Emily created a brochure that answered most frequent questions that most patients have regarding x-ray exposure. A poster has been created based off this brochure and is now displayed in all OrthoIndy x-ray waiting rooms. Emily played a vital role, in teaching

The physicians have to work indoors. They have to wear a special uniform, such as lab coat or surgical scrubs. They have to wear protective or safety attire, such as gloves and masks. They are exposed to infection and diseases from contact with patients on a daily basis. They have to work very near others. They must come into close physical contact with patients during procedures. They are exposed to radiation and contaminants on a weekly basis.

She should declare her pregnancy as soon as she finds out so her superiors and radiation safety officer can work out a plan for her so she has extra precautions against accidental exposures. “In a case where the pregnant mother worked in a radiation field the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) recommends that there is an exposure limit of 0.5 rem for a radiologic technologist over the course of her pregnancy.”3 The tech can be placed in a different department where she can avoid higher exposures like portable exams, surgery, fluoroscopic exams, or interventional procedures. The tech should always be wearing a lead apron if there is a possibility of any radiation. She should also get a separate badge that she can wear at abdomen level under her lead apron. This shows how much radiation that fetus actually receives. The technologist also needs to always consider the cardinal rules, which are time, distance, and

When it comes to patient protection they should be provided with protective aprons and a thyroid collar at all times. Every precaution should be used to limit the radiation exposure while in a dental lavatory In order to ensure that the x-ray unit is working properly there should be quality checks, specifically on the x-ray unit itself and the patient shielding equipment. Quality assurance checks will make sure the patient is getting the lowest dose of radiation possible , by keeping the radiograph unit at full functional capacity Standardized protocols and techniques that have the suggested limitations for taking x-rays should be used to optimize the amount of exposure a patient receives. The tooth structure and positioning of x-ray tube

The effects of radiation can be hazardous to any part of the human body. In this guide I will explain the advantages, and disadvantages of x-ray radiation. I will also discuss the technological advances that we have today then of what we had the past on the human body during radiation exposure. I will explain preventions of exposure and safety precautions that we as dental assistants as well as patients can follow to stay safe.

Radiation effects are mostly to the skin and hair, but severe injuries can extend to the fat and muscle. There are several factors that can affect the severity of the injury and that is total dose which is the time between the radiation exposures and the size of the area being examined. Some other factors that could enhance patient injuries are smoking, obesity, and location of the skin being examined. The range of

Patients tend to be more cooperative and receptive to radiographic procedures when radiation protection is provided. Patient protection includes the use of lead collars and lead aprons during radiographic imaging procedures. Lead collars are designed to protect the thyroid. These collars have been found to substantially reduce radiation to the thyroid during dental radiographic examinations.8 There are varying perspectives on the necessity of lead aprons and thyroid collar shields. Selection criteria guidelines recommend that all precautions should be taken and patient shielding be provided whenever possible, particularly for children, women of childbearing age, and pregnant women.1 The National Council on Radiation Protection

Exposure to ionizing radiation is of concern to many medical practitioners. The risks of radiation exposure are well documented within the scientific literature and include cataract formation, skin cancer, thyroid disease and leukaemia.1 Medical staff who work in the operating theatre are a sizable population potentially at risk for these complications.2 With advances in medical technology in past decades and an ongoing trend towards minimally invasive techniques, there has been a significant increase in the use of fluoroscopy.3-5 During fluoroscopic procedures staff are exposed to both direct and scattered radiation. Procedures that require long fluoroscopic screening times, such as interventional radiology, cardiology and orthopaedic surgery, place the proceduralist at high risk of radiation exposure. Orthopaedic surgeons must often remain close to the x-ray beam during procedures and cannot use distance to reduce radiation exposure.

When assisting the patient, the radiographers have to make sure they provide radiation safety not only for the patient but also for themselves. There are many different methods to providing safety. With the equipment and radiation dosage, highest KVp and the lowest mAs is used to provide the minimum amount of dosage required for the procedure. Furthermore, safety can be provided by reducing the amount of rime in radiation area, by putting as much distance between you and the radiation source as possible. When performing a portable examination stand at least six feet from x-ray source and wear a lead apron. The patient should remove any jewelry or metal accessories that may interfere with radiation procedure and both the technologist and the patient needs to wear protective lead shields for example lead gloves, aprons, skirts and thyroid shields to protect the other body parts from the radiation. It is advised to also always wear monitoring device at collar level. Lastly, the technologist uses immobilization devices to hold the patients when needed.