Investigation of the protection knowledge and behavior of healthcare workers in the operating room about radiation

With developing technology, the use of medical radiation for diagnosis and treatment is increasing, and in parallel, healthcare workers may be exposed to more radiation. This research was conducted to examine the radiation protection knowledge and behaviors of healthcare professionals working in the operating room of a training and research hospital. Data were collected from 100 volunteer healthcare workers who wanted to participate in the study, using a face-to-face interview technique, using a descriptive information form and a healthcare workers' radiation protection knowledge scale. IBM SPSS 25.0 program was used in the statistical analysis of the data. In the research, mean, standard deviation values, skewness and kurtosis coefficients were calculated, parametric tests such as TUKEY test and t-Test were applied, and ANOVA was used. 51% of the healthcare professionals participating in the research were women, and their average age was determined as 30.81±8.10. When the average distribution of radiation protection knowledge was examined, it was determined that 51% had a low knowledge level and 49% had a high knowledge level. It was determined that there was no significant difference between the gender, age and working years of healthcare workers and their radiation protection knowledge. A significant difference was detected between the education level and occupation type of the employees and their radiation protection knowledge (p<0.05). While the lowest level of knowledge was found in anesthesia technicians and auxiliary personnel, the highest level of knowledge was found in radiology technicians. It was determined that although 71% of healthcare workers knew all the radiation protective equipment used in the operating room, 60% did not always use all the protective equipment to protect from radiation. The study concluded that 69% of healthcare professionals think that in-service training regarding radiation safety is not sufficient. Among the categorical variables, a significant difference (p<0.05) was detected between the health workers' opinion that the in-service training they received regarding radiation safety was sufficient and their radiation protection knowledge. All these results show that there is a need for a more comprehensive and frequently organized training program specific to the type of profession and improved strategies for more effective use of protective equipment. Keywords: Employee Safety, Healthcare Workers, Operating Room, Radiation Protection