Zarb F, McNulty J P
Radiography, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta, Malta.
Radiography and Diagnostic Imaging, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland.
Radiography (Lond). 2025 Aug;31(5):103101. doi: 10.1016/j.radi.2025.103101. Epub 2025 Aug 5.
The European Union Radiation, Education, Staffing and Training (EU-REST) project assessed workforce availability of professionals involved in medical applications of ionising radiation across European Union (EU) Member States. It developed guidelines for staffing, education and training to ensure radiation safety and quality in medical practices. This paper focuses on the current status of workforce availability, education and training requirements of radiographers across the 27 EU Member States.
A multi-phase survey was employed, consisting of a pre-survey and a main survey. The pre-survey gathered information from relevant national authorities and professional bodies, followed by the main survey distributed to these bodies to complete across all Member States. The survey covered workforce availability, staffing levels, workforce planning, education and training, and quality and safety. Data were cleaned and analysed to focus on radiographers' workforce statistics, education and training in countries that completed the relevant section of the survey.
The study found significant variation in radiographer workforce availability, with a total of 171,306 working radiographers across Europe. The number of radiographers per million inhabitants ranged from 86 (Belgium) to 613 (Finland). About 7 % of radiographers were expected to retire in the next five years, with some countries facing higher projections. Variations in education systems, workforce distribution, and radiation protection practices were observed.
There is a need for harmonisation of how workforce data is collected and reported across Member States. Establishing centralised registries and standardised data collection methods is crucial for improving workforce management and ensuring radiation safety in medical settings.
Unless coordinated actions are taken to address issues related to the radiography workforce, staffing levels, and associated education and training, optimal standards will remain unattainable.
欧盟辐射、教育、人员配备与培训（EU - REST）项目评估了欧盟成员国中参与电离辐射医学应用的专业人员的劳动力可获得情况。该项目制定了人员配备、教育和培训指南，以确保医疗实践中的辐射安全与质量。本文聚焦于27个欧盟成员国放射技师的劳动力可获得情况现状、教育和培训要求。
采用了多阶段调查，包括预调查和主要调查。预调查从相关国家当局和专业机构收集信息，随后将主要调查分发给这些机构在所有成员国完成。调查涵盖劳动力可获得情况、人员配备水平、劳动力规划、教育和培训以及质量与安全。对数据进行清理和分析，以关注完成调查相关部分的国家中放射技师的劳动力统计、教育和培训情况。
研究发现放射技师劳动力可获得情况存在显著差异，欧洲共有171,306名在职放射技师。每百万居民中的放射技师数量从86人（比利时）到613人（芬兰）不等。预计未来五年约7%的放射技师将退休，一些国家的预测比例更高。观察到教育体系、劳动力分布和辐射防护实践存在差异。
需要统一各成员国收集和报告劳动力数据的方式。建立集中登记处和标准化数据收集方法对于改善劳动力管理和确保医疗环境中的辐射安全至关重要。
除非采取协调行动解决与放射技师劳动力、人员配备水平以及相关教育和培训有关的问题，否则最佳标准将无法实现。
