An Anatolian study on the current knowledge and attitudes of urology operating room staff on ionizing radiation

Abstract

Abstract Background To evaluate current approaches to ionizing radiation by personnel working in urology operating room at all levels of health service in Anatolia, Turkey. Methods A questionnaire was e-mailed to urology operating room personnel including MDs at different academic levels, between August and September 2020 in Anatolia, Turkey. The questionnaire included demographic questions and questions about ionizing radiation, exposure and protection. Results Of the 173 (11.9%) respondents, 44.5% were doctors, 24.9% were nurses, 20.8% were radiology technicians, and 9.8% were other operating room personnel. While most participants (73.4%) had some knowledge of radiation, only 42.2% stated they had received radiation-specific training. The two most commonly used personal protective equipments (PPEs) among respondents (79.8%) were lead aprons and thyroid protectors. Interestingly, both types of PPE were preferred among those who had not received radiation safety training. Conversely, besides lead aprons and thyroid protectors; gonadal protection, goggles and gloves were the preferred PPEs among respondents who had received radiation training (p < 0.001). Radiology technicians exhibited the highest compliance rate for dosimeter usage (100%), followed by faculty members (37.5%), urology specialists (36.7%) nurses (27.9%), operating room staff (17.6%) and assistants (15%). While differences in compliance were statistically significant (p < 0.001), no significant relationship was found between radiation protection measures and years of experience, daily fluoroscopy exposure or education level. Conclusions Despite advances in medical science, our findings suggest that many hospital personnel are still insensitive to the dangers of fluoroscopy, which is of great importance in urology operating rooms.