Social-Ecological Factors Affecting Patient Shield Use Among Radiologic and Computed Tomography Technologists
Abstract
Medical radiation is estimated to contribute to over 200,000 deaths annually. Recent increases in the use of radiation-producing medical imaging examinations have led to increasing cumulative radiation dose to the general public. Multiple measures have been taken to address this alarming trend, including physician education, technologist education on dose reduction, and equipment-facilitated dose reduction techniques. Shield use can reduce the primary beam by up to 95%. Medical imaging technologists are the primary individuals responsible for applying shielding during an examination. Currently, literature shows that technologists are not shielding individuals as often as they should. After pilot testing, medical imaging technologists were recruited via email to participate in a national cross-sectional survey in September 2017. The survey contained items related to technologists’ demographics, shielding behaviors, and attitudes and beliefs measured at four social-ecological levels – intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and community. The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) provided a list of technologists’ email addresses from their directory. One thousand six-hundred and sixty-one email notifications were sent out in the summer of 2017. Of those, 218 technologists (13%) completed the survey. Among technologists who considered their primary modality to be computed tomography (CT), organizational level factors were a positive significant predictor of…
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