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If you work at or manage a medical facility that utilizes radiation equipment you’re probably wondering how to reduce radiation in the body to keep your staff and patients safe. The truth is that radiation technology is safely used in medical settings every day, but it’s necessary to follow safety best practices to continue using these devices without elevated risks.
At Barrier Technologies, we’ve manufactured lead aprons, movable barriers, thyroid shields, and many other types of personal protective equipment (PPE) since 2005, so we’ve helped countless clinics and other facilities keep radiation exposure to safe levels.
Here’s everything that a medical facility should offer to keep patients and medical staff safe from radiation.
1. Adhere to the ALARA Principle
How do I reduce radiation in my body? It all starts with the ALARA principle, which stands for As Low As Reasonably Achievable.
In other words, exposure to radiation in medical facilities should be kept at a minimum wherever possible, without compromising patients or the medical procedure being conducted of course.
Some tips to adhere to ALARA include:
- Reduce exposure time, even if it’s by a few seconds
- Put as much distance between yourself and the source of radiation
- Avoid direct exposure and take steps to counter scatter radiation too
2. Provide Adequate Protective Equipment
Next, every facility should offer radiation PPE for its staff and patients. Radiation PPE consists of apparel and other safety accessories that are made from lead and other materials that are known for blocking or attenuating radiation.
Some of the most common radiation apparel you should have access to include:
- Lead aprons
- Thyroid shields
- Movable barriers
- Head bands and lead caps
3. Create an Emergency and Incident Response Protocol
Besides having a radiation handling protocol, you also need to have an emergency plan that tells you how to lower radiation in the body in case of accidental direct contact.
The details of your emergency and incident response protocol will vary based on the type of device, the amount of radiation it emits, and the location within your facility. Make sure to consult with your internal radiation expert to cover all necessary areas.
4. Appoint Your Facility’s Radiation Safety Officer (RSO)
As we’ve alluded to in the prior section, you need to have at least one safety expert in your team: a radiation safety officer or RSO.
In summary, your RSO is responsible for creating and monitoring the safety protocol and response surrounding your radiation equipment. Besides this, your RSO is also the first point of contact within your facility if you have any questions or comments about the equipment and protocol in place, so reach out to your internal expert in case something is not clear.
5. Implement a Radiation Dose Tracking System
Your facility should also offer a radiation tracking system for professionals who are frequently exposed to this energy. These tools record cumulative exposure for every staff member, allowing you to identify patterns and prevent unsafe levels.
You should use this data to rotate staff (more on this later), adjust protocols, and keep exposure within safe, acceptable limits.
6. Have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Imaging
One of the most effective ways to decrease radiation in your body is by adhering to standard operating protocols or SOPs for diagnostic imaging. This can help ensure that scans are performed correctly the first time and reduce unnecessary repeats.
These instructions guide staff on patient positioning, dosage settings, and equipment handling so that each procedure limits exposure as much as possible.
7. Deliver Safety Training and Continuous Education
Lastly, every medical facility should offer safety training and continuous education around radiation technology.
Ongoing education keeps your medical team informed of evolving best practices and new technologies. Regular refresher courses also reinforce safety habits, reduce complacency, and ensure your entire team shares the same culture of radiation protection.
Best Practices that Help Reduce Radiation Exposure
Now that we have a better idea of how to reduce radiation effects on the body, let’s take a look at additional best practices you can follow to minimize exposure to this type of harmful energy.
For starters, it’s critical that you create safety protocols that not only cover emergency scenarios but also explain how radiation devices should be handled, moved, cleaned, and stored.
Not only this, but you should also:
Rotate Radiation Experts Based on the Dosimetry Results
As we mentioned above, it’s essential for all facilities to have a radiation monitoring protocol based on dosimetry readings. Make sure to keep a close eye on these as they will dictate when your individual radiation experts should rotate in order to reduce exposure.
You will have to set internal standards with your RSO, but make sure that they match widely accepted radiation safety standards.
Establish and Champion a Radiation Safety Culture
One of the biggest challenges with investigative and business settings is that results tend to be at the forefront of the efforts.
But, since professionals in these areas are still exposed to radiation frequently, it’s also important that you put security at the center of your tasks, establish a safety culture, and champion these efforts to lead by example.
Upgrade Technologies and Adopt Innovative Safety
Advancements in digital technologies have allowed for the creation of equipment with much lower radiation levels than in previous decades. If it’s a possibility in your facility, consider upgrading to newer technologies as these are usually safer, utilize lower-intensity radiation, and are designed to reduce scatter beams.
Get Assistance Choosing the Best Equipment for Your Facility
Radiation devices play a huge role in medical, industrial, and research settings, but learning how to reduce radiation in your body is the only way to safely utilize this type of technology in controlled settings.
There are many steps that can help you monitor and limit the amount of radiation your body absorbs, like adhering to the ALARA principle, utilizing adequate PPE, having a detailed emergency response protocol, and the other steps we covered above.
Choosing PPE is an essential part, so make sure to consult with your radiation security officer and bring in an additional radiation safety expert if necessary. It’s always a good idea to discuss your needs with a specialized PPE provider that has experience designing and manufacturing high-quality protective apparel.
At Barrier Technologies, we’ve spent the last two decades designing, testing, and manufacturing lead aprons, thyroid shields, movable barriers, and other types of radiation protection equipment. Contact us today to learn more about choosing the right PPE based on the radiation applications in your facility and our team will be glad to help.
