Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Radiation Safety
Radiation Safety
His other experiences include being the director of nursing in a 22-bed hospital and more than 10
years as a charge and staff nurse in three different intensive care units. Byron’s education started
with a diploma from St. Lukes Hospital School of Nursing in Fargo, ND, followed by a
Bachelor’s degree in nursing from Moorhead State University in Moorhead, MN. His Master of
Science with an emphasis on Rural Health Nursing Administration was gained at the University of
North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND. In 1995, he sat for and successfully completed the CNOR
exam, and he has renewed his CNOR credential four times since then.
These slides taken from the webinar Principles of Radiation Safety found in the AORN Guidelines, presented May 13, 2015. To listen
to the webinar, visit https://www.aorn.org/Events/Webinars/Previously_Recorded_Webinars.aspx. These slides are made available
for educational use. Slides may be personalized for your facility and presentation. HOWEVER, THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THESE SLIDES
ARE THOSE OF THE PRESENTERS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF, AND SHOULD NOT BE ATTRIBUTED TO AORN.
Objectives
• Describe the actions to take when applying the principles of
radiation safety to the patient, including the pregnant patient.
• Describe the actions to take when applying the principles of
radiation safety to the health care worker, including the
pregnant worker.
• State the recommendations for caring for radiation personnel
shielding devices.
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Exposure Sources
• Primary radiation
• Leakage radiation
• Scatter radiation
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Factors Affecting the Radiation Dose
• Patient positioning
• Image magnification
• Fluoroscopy duration
• Maintenance of a single beam angle
• Use of high-intensity mode
• Dose monitoring
• X-ray beam angulation
• Mechanical defects in the radiation source
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Interprofessional Team
Responsibilities
• Create and maintain the radiation safety program
• Determine qualifications for the equipment operator for each
type of radiologic device
• Evaluate and select new radiology equipment
• Determine the unit of measure to be used for monitoring the
radiation dose and the peak value for notifying the operator
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Radiation Safety Program
MUST include
• List of the approved equipment operators
• Documentation and record retention requirements
• List of measures for protecting patients and personnel from
unnecessary exposure to ionizing radiation
• Procedures for handling and disposing of body fluids and tissue
that may be radioactive
• Requirements for using radiation monitoring devices (eg,
dosimeters)
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Radiation Safety Program
SHOULD include
• Processes and requirements for the selection of equipment at
the time of purchase
• Requirements for personnel education and competency
assessment
• Quality assurance and improvement program
• Frequency of and processes for testing of protective devices
• Requirements for patient education
• Processes for sterilization of radiation seeds when seed
sterilization is required
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Radiation Safety Officer
• Oversees the radiation safety program
• Monitors compliance with Nuclear Regulatory Commission
regulations
• Assists in creating and enforcing policies and procedures
• Determines methods for monitoring and recording occupational
exposure
• Determines which individuals require monitoring devices
• Identifies radiation safety problems
• Stops unsafe practices
• Initiates, recommends, provides, and verifies implementation of
corrective actions
• Is present before and during radionuclide therapy
• Controls and maintains the radionuclide surveillance program
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Radiation Safety for Patients
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Patient Safety
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Patient Safety
Reprinted with permission from Guidelines for Perioperative Practice. Copyright © 2015, AORN, Inc, 2170 S. Parker Road, Suite 400, Denver, CO 80231. All rights reserved
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Patient Safety
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Radiation Safety for Staff
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Question
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Question
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Staff Safety
•Time
•Distance
•Shielding
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Staff Safety Distance & Time
Reprinted with permission from Guidelines for Perioperative Practice. Copyright © 2015, AORN, Inc, 2170 S. Parker Road, Suite 400, Denver, CO 80231. All rights reserved
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Staff Safety Distance & Time
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Question
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Question
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Pregnant Staff Safety
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Pregnant Staff Safety
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Shielding Devices
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Shielding Devices
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Shielding Devices
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Shielding Devices
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Shielding Devices
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Shielding Devices
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Shielding Devices
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Shielding Devices
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Monitoring Devices
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Therapeutic Radiation
• Handling of source
• Use under supervision
• Counting of seeds
• Sterilization processes
• Disposal
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Radiation Exposure Education
Perioperative Team
• Minimizing exposure to radiation (ie, as low as reasonably
achievable [ALARA])
• Dosimeter use and monitoring
• Care of patients receiving radioactive nuclides
• Handling radioactive nuclides
• Controlling and providing security for the material (ie,
constant surveillance)
• Emergency response to spills
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Radiation Exposure Education
Patients
• Collaborate with the physician
• Advise the patient to
– Stay away from crowded places, such as movie theaters
– Double flush urine and stool
– Wipe up spills of body fluids immediately
– Wear protective clothing (eg, shorts, breast shields)
• Advise female patients not to breastfeed for 1 week after
treatment
• Advise family members, caregivers, and visitors to stay a
distance of 3 ft (1 m) from the patient
• Timeframe for precautions
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.
Reference
Copyright © 2015 AORN, Inc. All rights reserved. Used or adapted with permission.