Knowledge and Attitude of the Operating Room Nurses About Radiation Exposure

Operating rooms are dynamic places where advanced technology is used, and teamwork is best exhibited. Operating room personnel face many biological, physical, and infectious risk factors. One of these risk factors is ionizing radiation. Radiation in the operating room may be spread from non-ionizing devices such as portable X-ray devices and lasers, as well as by radiological methods such as X-ray and fluoroscopy, which have been widely used in recent years as it shortens the duration of surgery.

Radiation is used in many applications in operating rooms and long-term exposure to radiation may occur. Operation room personnel are affected by radiation in three different ways: direct, reflection, and leakage. Influence in the form of leakage is associated with the fluoroscope use and the reflection may occur by transfer from the patient's body or from the objects in the operating room.

Radiation can cause serious adverse effects on hematopoietic, immune, reproductive, circulatory, respiratory, musculoskeletal, endocrine, nervous, digestive, and urinary systems. The negative effects of radiation exposure are generally defined in two ways. The first is acutely occurring determinant effects, and the second is later occurring probabilistic effects. Determinant effects occur as a result of exposure of cells to radiation, in addition to being directly related to cell death. These effects may result in infertility, cataract, leukemia, skin burns, and death. Probabilistic effects are associated with the absorption of radiation accumulated in tissues and may occur even at the lowest dose. Genetic disorders and cancer formation are some of the consequences of probabilistic effects.

The use of protective equipment has a very important role in reducing radiation exposure. The use of masks ensures protection from respiratory hazards, the use of protective clothing ensures that the radioactive substance does not damage the skin and hair, and the use of personal dosimeters ensures the management of the duration of stay in an area with high radiation levels and the monitoring of accumulated doses. Accordingly, the radiation exposure of the operating room nurses is very high. Therefore, nurses should have sufficient information about radiation and protection from radiation. This study was carried out to evaluate the knowledge level and attitude of operating room nurses about radiation exposure.