Background: Occupational exposure to ionising radiation may have detrimental health effects. Longer and more complex fluoroscopic procedures have placed interventionalists at increased occupational health risks especially for developing cataracts in the radiosensitive lenses of the eyes.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of occupational related cataracts and describe the risk factors for cataracts in occupationally exposed interventionalists compared with unexposed doctors.
Background Occupational doses to most medical radiation workers have declined substantially since the 1950s because of improvements in radiation protection practices. However, different patterns may have emerged for radiologic technologists working with nuclear medicine because of the higher per-procedure doses and increasing workloads. Purpose To summarize annual occupational doses during a 36-year period for a large cohort of U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIonising radiation (IR) is increasingly being used in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and offers increased benefits to patients but poses an increased occupational health risk to operators. The consistent use and monitoring of radiation health care workers' dosimeters is an important part of the process for ensuring adequate monitoring and control of IR in the workplace. There is however often inconsistent dosimeter utilisation among these workers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study explored personal protective equipment (PPE) availability and PPE utilization among interventionalists in the catheterization laboratory, which is a highly contextualized workplace.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using mixed methods. Participants (108) completed a survey.
Background: Occupational exposure to ionising radiation poses potential health risks to radiation workers unless adequate protection is in place. The catheterisation laboratory is a highly contextualised workplace with a distinctive organisational and workplace culture.
Objective: This study was conducted to understand the culture of radiation protection (CRP).
Cardiovasc J Afr
May 2017
Exposure to ionising radiation may have deterministic and stochastic health effects, which include skin changes, chromosomal aberrations, cataracts and carcinomas. Formalised training in radiation safety and protection improves knowledge on the subject and facilitates greater compliance in safety practices. This qualitative study included 54 interventionalists (adult and paediatric cardiologists, and interventional radiologists).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlob Health Action
November 2010
Background: It is now widely accepted that climate change is occurring as a result of the accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere. With the prospect of a warmer world, increased attention is being devoted to the implications for worker well-being and work performance.
Objectives: The 'high occupational temperature health and productivity suppression' (HOTHAPS) programme is a multi-centre health research and prevention programme aimed at characterising and quantifying the extent to which working people are affected by, or adapt to, heat exposure while working.