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Tag: patient safety

Essential Steps for Radiologic Technologists to Ensure Radiation Safety

Radiologic technologist radiation safety

Everyone wants to be safe. Although we hear these things a thousand times, it never hurts to have a helpful reminder. So here are some of the essential steps for radiologic technologists to ensure radiation safety. RTs must complete these steps during medical imaging of patients in order to ensure the safety of their patients, coworkers, and themselves. It is noteworthy that special precautions may be needed for pregnant X-ray techs.

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Communicating Radiation Risk to Patients

communicating radiation risk

Radiologic technologists play an important role in communicating radiation risk to patients. To this end, they must establish a rapport with the patient. One of the major challenges of risk communication is the difference in risk perception by healthcare professionals and the general public. To effectively communicate the risks and benefits of radiation exposure, radiographers need to understand this difference themselves. It is also important to remember that the general public may have obtained information from non-technical sources such as newspapers, magazines, TV shows, and Internet sites. Moreover, the layperson is prone to give equal importance to information from unverified sources and scientific bodies.

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Radiation Safety for Healthcare Workers

radiation safety of healthcare workers
A healthcare worker positions a patient for a mammogram

It is estimated that approximately 1 million people employed in health facilities around the world are exposed to radiation in the course of their work duties. This makes the radiation safety of healthcare workers an important consideration. The International Labor Organization regards any exposure to ionizing radiation received at the workplace as occupational exposure. A healthcare worker’s total radiation exposure also includes natural background exposure received during working hours. However, since the latter is a consequence of living on Planet Earth and occurs regardless of occupation, it is not the responsibility of the employer and is not subject to regulatory controls.

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