Assessment of Radiation Protection Measures in a Nigerian Tertiary Health Care Center

Abstract

Radiation protection is critical and poses an increasing international concern in this era of evidence based practice and the approach to the use of ionizing radiation should be conscientious and cautious. Ionizing radiation in any quantity is potentially deleterious to health however, its benefit far outweighs the risk. This study was carried out in the radiology department of a tertiary health care center in Nigeria with the aim of assessing radiation protection measures in the hospital in comparism with international standard. Several factors were evaluated such as the integrity of the shielding used, the x ray room design , technical considerations, management's role in provision of good equipment, staff and training, effectiveness of workplace and personnel monitoring, quality  control and records as radiation protection tool. This study showed that  all the parameters assessed and radiation doses were acceptable and below the annual permissible dose indicating that the radiation protection measures employed by the hospital were good and complied with international standard, though record keeping seemed to be a major challenge.

Keywords: Radiation protection, Ionizing Radiation, X-ray, Quality Control, Quality Assurance