Partap Amanda, Raghunanan Ryan, White Kimani, Seepaul Trevor
Department of Orthopedics, San Fernando General Hospital, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago.
Department of Orthopedics, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Champ Fleurs, Trinidad and Tobago.
SAGE Open Med. 2019 Apr 29;7:2050312119848240. doi: 10.1177/2050312119848240. eCollection 2019.
To determine the practices and knowledge of radiation safety measures among health care providers in tertiary institutions in Trinidad.
DESIGN & METHOD: A cross-sectional survey of health care professionals within two public hospitals was conducted using a questionnaire distributed to individuals working in Cardiology, General Surgery, Internal medicine, Orthopaedics, Radiology and Urology who require the use of ionizing radiation machines. The questionnaire comprised of 30 questions divided into five subcategories including demographic data, usage of the ionizing radiation machines, basic knowledge, and attitude towards personal protective equipment as well as radiation exposure measurement. Questionnaire results were tabulated and analysed using Microsoft Excel and Stata v11 with comparative statistical analysis being done using the one-way analysis of variance test.
A total of 118 health care professionals participated in this study. The majority (85/118 (72%)) of individuals revealed that they had no formal training regarding safe practices when working with ionizing radiation despite the daily use of the fluoroscopy machines by at least 25% of participants. Individuals who had formal training in the use of ionizing radiation were found to score significantly higher than those without training (p < 0.0001). Participants' knowledge regarding the proper positioning of the C-arm image intensifier to reduce radiation exposure was low with 46% of individuals providing a correct response.
The level of knowledge among the individuals who participate in the operation of ionizing radiation equipment throughout the country is low. The benefit of training in the use of the C-arm image intensifier is highlighted by the revelation that the individuals who had formal training in the use of these machines performed better than those individuals without training. Annual recertification courses should be implemented such that individuals are kept abreast with current changes and reminded of commonly neglected safety practices.
确定特立尼达三级医疗机构中医疗服务提供者对辐射安全措施的实践情况和知识水平。
对两家公立医院的医疗专业人员进行横断面调查，采用问卷调查的方式，对象为从事心脏病学、普通外科、内科、骨科、放射科和泌尿外科且需要使用电离辐射机器的工作人员。问卷包含30个问题，分为五个子类别，包括人口统计学数据、电离辐射机器的使用情况、基础知识、对个人防护设备的态度以及辐射暴露测量。问卷结果使用Microsoft Excel和Stata v11进行制表和分析，采用单因素方差分析进行比较统计分析。
共有118名医疗专业人员参与了本研究。尽管至少25%的参与者每天使用荧光透视机，但大多数人（118人中的85人（72%））表示在使用电离辐射时没有接受过关于安全操作的正规培训。发现接受过电离辐射使用正规培训的人员得分显著高于未接受培训的人员（p < 0.0001）。参与者对C形臂影像增强器正确定位以减少辐射暴露的知识水平较低，只有46%的人回答正确。
全国参与电离辐射设备操作的人员知识水平较低。接受过C形臂影像增强器使用培训的人员表现优于未接受培训的人员，这凸显了培训的益处。应实施年度再认证课程，使人员了解当前的变化，并提醒他们注意那些常被忽视的安全操作。
