Occupational radiation exposure in doctors: an analysis of exposure rates over 25 years

Abstract

Objectives: Healthcare professionals’ occupational exposure to ionising radiation may be increasing due to increasing use of imaging and image-guided intervention. This study aims to assess the occupational exposure of doctors over a 25-year period at an NHS teaching hospital. Methods: Dosemeter measurements were collected prospectively from 1995 to 2019. Two retrospective analyses were performed over time (first including all measurements, second excluding “zero-dose” measurements), and by speciality. Group comparisons were undertaken using multilevel linear regression; a p-value <0.05 was deemed significant. Results: 8,892 measurements (3,983 body, 1,514 collar, 649 eye, 2,846 hand), of which 3,350 were non-zero measurements (1,541 body, 883 collar, 155 eye, 771 hand), were included. Whole dataset analysis found a significant decrease in exposure for radiologists and cardiologists, as measured by body, hand and collar dosemeters over the last 25 years (p < 0.01 for all). The non-zero readings reflect the whole cohort analysis except in the case of eye dosemeters, which showed a significant decrease in exposure for cardiologists (p < 0.01), but a significant increase for radiologists and surgeons/anaesthetists (p < 0.01 for both). Conclusions: Whilst ionising radiation remains an occupational risk for doctors, the overall decreasing trend in occupational exposure is reassuring. However, a significant rise in eye dose for radiologists, surgeons and anaesthetists is concerning, and close monitoring is required to prevent future issues. Advances in knowledge: This paper is one of few evaluating the occupational radiation exposure to doctors over a 25-year period, showing that although most dosemeter measurements reflect decreasing exposure, the increase in eye exposure warrants caution.