Assessment of Radiation Exposure among Healthcare Providers
Author(s): Ayat Ibrahim Marhab* and Wissam Jabbar Kassim
Abstract
Background: Radiation exposure poses a danger to both patients and healthcare personnel (HCFs). Radiographic imaging is an invaluable Although ionizing radiation and computed tomography (CT) scans are useful diagnostic tools in medicine, there are well-known risks associated with them, as do other imaging techniques. The monitoring of radiation and radiation safety for radiography professionals is an essential safety measure. AIMS: Assess health status of healthcare providers who work in radiation departments., and to find out the differences between radiation exposure and health status of health care providers. Methodology: Cross-sectional study was undertaken over the duration of the study period (May 10th to August 25th,2021) to assess of radiation exposure among healthcare providers. Purposive sample of (120) healthcare providers were selected from five hospitals in medical city complex the sample is distributed as (44) healthcare providers from Baghdad teaching Hospital, (36) healthcare providers from Ghazi AL-Hariri Hospital, (10) healthcare providers from Tumor Teaching Hospital, (20) healthcare providers from Children’s protection Hospital, (10) healthcare providers from Radiology institute. The sample was obtained by use of two-part instruments: Th Part 1: General facts about healthcare providers in this section, you will find a self-administered questions sheet for measuring radiation exposure on healthcare providers. validity of the questionnaire to ensure its validity, the instrument was shown to sixteen nursing specialists from various specialties. The internal consist reliability determine by Cronbach Alpha correlation which was 0.79 for exposure to radiation. Descriptive statistics are used to examine the data, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations; inferential statistics include ANOVA and independent t-tests, among others. Results: The result showed measurement of exposure to radiation indicates that 20% (n=24) are ate moderate risk and 80% (n=96) are at low risk due to exposure, that there is significant difference in exposure to radiation with regard to male healthcare providers at p-value=0.0.029. conclusion: The study found that majority of Healthcare Providers are at a low level of acute exposure to radiation, majority of healthcare Providers are at low risk due to exposure to radiation.