A survey of the radiation safety practices of veterinary practitioners during portable equine radiography in Ireland.

Veterinary practitioners and other personnel involved in the examination are exposed to ionizing radiation while performing portable radiographs on horses. An online survey was distributed to all Veterinary Council of Ireland-registered practices where the self-reported practice profile is at least 20% equine work. The survey contained questions relating to radiation safety training, protocols, personal dosimetry and lead protection usage, repeat exposures, sedation, and personnel roles during the examination.

Medical-surgical patients with untreated hazardous drinking: Randomized controlled trial of the DO-MoST intervention to improve health outcomes over 12-month follow-up.

Introduction: High prevalence and harmful consequences of hazardous drinking among medical-surgical patients underscore the importance of intervening with drinking to improve patients' health. This study evaluated a novel intervention, "Drinking Options - Motivate, Shared Decisions, Telemonitor" (DO-MoST).

Methods: In a randomized design, 155 medical-surgical patients with untreated hazardous drinking were assigned to enhanced usual care or DO-MoST, and followed 3, 6, and 12 months later.

Hazardous Drinking Interventions Delivered During Medical-Surgical Care: Patient and Provider Views.

Addressing hazardous drinking during medical-surgical care improves patients' health. This formative evaluation examined patients' consideration of options to change drinking and engage in treatment. It explored whether interventions such as "DO-MoST" overcome treatment barriers.

Impact of torque tube reflection on bifacial photovoltaic single axis tracked system performance.

Among the racking elements of bifacial photovoltaic (PV) single-axis tracked systems, the torque tube (TT) introduces the most shading and reflection, increasing irradiance nonuniformity and electrical mismatch loss. We simulate the impact of TT shading and reflection on the irradiance profiles, electrical mismatch, and energy yield for central bifacial PV modules on one-in-portrait (1P) and two-in-portrait (2P) single-axis trackers. TT reflection increases annual irradiance in 1P and 2P systems by 0.

Development of an Irish national policy for the management of pregnant or potentially pregnant patients that are referred for a procedure involving the use of ionising radiation.

Objectives: The management of pregnant or potentially pregnant patients who are referred for medical imaging procedures involving ionising radiation has proven to be a challenge for healthcare providers in Ireland. This has been confirmed by a number of regulatory agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency who have reported poor compliance with legislation, inadequate documentation and sub-optimal patient care.

Methods: An expert group was established to examine the issues that were at the root of these problems and produce recommendations for improvement.

Practical radiation dosimetry across a variety of CBCT devices in Radiology.

Cone beam technology is becoming more prominent in Radiology. In our hospital we have an extremity CT, an O-arm and a number of C-arms offering 3D capabilities. Each of these modalities use cone beam CT (CBCT) technology to image the area of interest in one single rotation.

Perception of medical radiation risk in Ireland: Results of a public survey.

The Basic Safety Standards (BSS) directive 2013/59/EURATOM places a new emphasis on the practitioner and/or referrer to inform the patient of the benefits and risks associated with radiation dose. To communicate effectively, a prior knowledge of what a person comprehends is beneficial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Irish public's current level of understanding of ionising radiation and its associated risks.