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CURRY, M.
DECREASING ANXIETY DURING RADIATION THERAPY TREATMENTS
FUNDAMENTALS OF RADIATION SAFETY

Decreasing Anxiety During Radiation Therapy Treatments

Meshan Curry

University of Wisconsin La-Crosse

Fundamentals of Radiation Safety

December 5, 2022
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CURRY, M.
DECREASING ANXIETY DURING RADIATION THERAPY TREATMENTS
FUNDAMENTALS OF RADIATION SAFETY

A medical facility in the United States encounters patients from various backgrounds
daily and public knowledge on medical procedures cannot always be assumed. Medical staff
must acknowledge this and have an increased awareness that the overall public may have even
less educational information on radiation medical procedures. Public awareness of radiation
safety can vary dramatically due to several factors. Some of those factors include age, various
levels of education, demographics, and the representation of radiation in the media. It is apart of
the medical staff’s commitment to be able to give correct patient information about radiation
safety to all patients no matter their various backgrounds.

A knowledgeable medical staff is the first step to combatting any fear or anxiety when it
comes to radiation safety. According to Efstathopoulous and Ploussi, continuous education and
training of the staff and professionals with the attendance of courses, workshops, seminars, and
electronic-learning programs are essential. Theoretical education and practical training in
radiation protection aims to ensure that healthcare professionals will obtain a strong foundation
in radiation protection and a basic knowledge of each modality. 1 Even if the medical staff does
not have direct contact with a patient during a radiation medical procedure, all staff including
patient volunteers, environmental services staff members, and medical receptionists should know
about radiation safety. When a medical staff is knowledgeable about radiation safety that is
established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the various advisory agencies that
provide additional recommendations, confidence about patient safety during radiation medical
procedures can be projected throughout the facility. A medical study performed by the
University of Vermont in 2015, found that patient’s that were aware of how radiation was found
in their daily environments, more particularly radon exposure in their homes, were less
concerned about radiation exposure when it came to medically necessary procedures. 2 This
information could be an important subject matter medical staff members could propose when
explaining the amount of research that has been studied over the years to include all
environmental exposures of radiation to public patient dose limitations. Patients should also be
aware that there are dose monitoring systems in place for staff members and radiation therapy
patients. According to Roberts, dose monitoring systems provide accurate data about radiation
dose and facilitate discussions for informed consent. Real-time measurements of occupational
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CURRY, M.
DECREASING ANXIETY DURING RADIATION THERAPY TREATMENTS
FUNDAMENTALS OF RADIATION SAFETY

patient dose can provide detailed data for discussing radiation dose estimates when seeking
patient informed consent. 3 This detailed information could be another discussion point that could
bring ease to patient’s and their loved ones.

For radiation therapy departments specifically, it is important that not only patients feel
they are safe during treatment but that their loved ones also know that their radiation safety has
been considered as well. Radiation therapy departments have extensive levels of checks and
balances that include various staff members such as the radiation oncologist, medical physicist,
medical dosimetrists, and radiation therapists. Patients should also know that many record and
verify systems are in place to correctly identify the correct treatment site, patient, and dose.
According to Field, a key concept for any radiology verification process is verifying the patient
and procedure details at every point along the medical-imaging care continuum.4 Patients and
their loved ones can also take comfort in knowing that the treatment facilities are designed with
their safety in mind such as locations of waiting rooms, cameras, various shielding techniques,
and extensive signage that informs the public of a radiation treatment area. The public should
also be aware that there are radiation safety officers in place at every medical facility to guide
staff with any radiation safety issues that may arise. Efstathopoulous and Ploussi also reported
that radiation protection experts enhance safety culture by providing leadership, developing
relationships with the administration, employees, and patients. Radiation safety officers are also
responsible for the staff training and the creation of guidelines and recommendations under the
guidance of radiation protection associates. 1 Radiation safety officers should be an asset to help
all radiation staff members in a facility.

Patient safety should be at the forefront of all that we do, not just in radiation therapy but
in all medical fields. All staff members should be committed to the care and improvement of
patient’s lives. If questions or concerns about radiation safety arise, there should be no hesitation
for staff to answer all questions to set a patient and their loved ones at ease. The guidelines set by
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and recommendations by the advisory agencies should be
known by all staff to help ease the fear some of the members of the public may have. The themes
and articles that were mentioned may help clarify discussions on radiation safety in the future.
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CURRY, M.
DECREASING ANXIETY DURING RADIATION THERAPY TREATMENTS
FUNDAMENTALS OF RADIATION SAFETY

The articles and themes mentioned are meant to bring comfort to patients and their loved ones
during some of the most turbulent times of their lives. All members of the medical staff should
be aware of the resources that can be utilized to bring comfort in the world of medicine and
patient care.
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CURRY, M.
DECREASING ANXIETY DURING RADIATION THERAPY TREATMENTS
FUNDAMENTALS OF RADIATION SAFETY

References

1. Ploussi A, Efstathopoulos EP. Importance of establishing radiation protection culture in a

radiology department. World J Radiol. 2016;8(2):142-147. doi:10.4329/wjr.v8.i2.142
2. Evans K, Bodmer J, Edwards B, et al. An exploratory analysis of public awareness and
perception of ionizing radiation and guide to public health practice in Vermont. Journal of
Environmental and Public Health, vol. 2015, Article ID 476495, 6 pages, 2015.
https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/476495
3. Roberts B. Patient-centered radiation safety. Radiological Technology. 2017;88(5):499-514.
4. Field C. Adapting verification processes to prevent wrong radiology events. Pennsylvania
Patient Safety Authority. September 15, 2018. Accessed December 3, 2022.
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101735829