The Effect of Pre-Operative Verbal Confirmation for Interventional Radiology Physicians on Their Use of Personal Dosimeters and Personal Protective Equipment

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 15;19(24):16825. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416825.

Abstract

Interventional radiology (IR) physicians must be equipped with personal passive dosimeters and personal protective equipment (PPE); however, they are inconsistently used. Therefore, we aimed to explore practical measures to increase PPE usage and ascertain whether these measures could lead to an actual decrease in exposure doses to IR physicians. Dosimeters and PPE were visually inspected. Then, a pre-operative briefing was conducted as a direct intervention, and the use of dosimeters and PPE was verbally confirmed. Finally, the intervention effect was verified by measuring the use rates and individual exposure doses. Because of the intervention, the use rate markedly improved and was almost 100%. However, both the effective dose rate (effective dose/fluoroscopy time) and the lens equivalent dose rate (lens equivalent dose/fluoroscopy time) showed that the intervention led to a statistically significant increase in exposure (effective dose rate: p = 0.033; lens equivalent dose rate: p = 0.003). In conclusion, the proper use of dosimeters and PPE raised the radiation exposure values for IR physicians immediately after the intervention, which was hypothesized to be due to the inclusion of exposure overlooked to date and the changes in the dosimeter management method from a single- to a double-dosimeter approach.

Keywords: direct intervention; interventional radiology; personal passive dosimeter; personal protective equipment; pre-operative briefing.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Lens, Crystalline*
  • Occupational Exposure* / prevention & control
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Physicians*
  • Radiation Dosage
  • Radiation Dosimeters
  • Radiology, Interventional

Grants and funding

This work was funded in part by a grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI to T.M., grant number 18H03376, and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to N.K. and T.M., grant number 180501-01/200601-01/210501-01.