Protective technologist radiation equipment is essential to keeping yourself and your team safe from the harmful effects of radiation. Moreover, this form of equipment can be used to also protect your patients.
With that said, there are many types of radiology equipment and each one is used for specific purposes. But, radiography equipment has certain guidelines and requirements, so it’s important to understand these in order to provide a safe environment for patients and practitioners alike.
Radiologic Equipment to Boost Protection
Let’s take a look at what equipment is used in radiology as well as the accessories you will need in your facility.
Protective Equipment
As the name suggests, radiology protective equipment is designed to keep your technicians, physicians, and patients safe.
The formats and materials may vary, but it’s important to point out that this type of personal protective equipment protects specifically against radiation beams as well as surface contamination.
Lead Aprons
Lead aprons provide protection against scatter radiation that usually occurs when exposed to radiology equipment.
These can vary in design, with some aprons covering the entire body and others only safeguarding either the torso or lower extremities.
In addition to comfort, it’s important for these aprons to be lightweight for your team members to perform their duties effectively.
Lead Drapes
No list of radiology safety equipment is complete without lead drapes for X-ray tables and similar settings. These are made from lead or similar material that shields patients against radiation when performing a test.
Designed to protect non-target areas, lead drapes have to be flexible in order to be adjusted to different body parts.
Mobile Shields
Procedure and diagnostics rooms are sometimes subject to scatter radiation that builds up over time. Mobile shields are an ideal solution because they can be moved and placed in different locations to protect your medical staff.
Mobile radiation shields can be used at the same time as other protective equipment, and they can be made from lead as well as other shielding materials.
Thyroid Shields
Thyroid glands can suffer significant damage when exposed to radiation. Thyroid collars can help protect these sensitive glands and prevent health issues down the line.
As with aprons and similar gear, you need to ensure that thyroid shields are properly fitted. Not only this, but velcro and similar closing mechanisms can harbor radiation contamination. Your best option is to find protective gear with a magnetic closing system that can be easily wiped clean.
Eye Protection
Leaded eyewear protects the eyes and can be used in conjunction with other protective equipment. If your practitioners or technicians use prescription eyewear, you can also have these customized to their individual requirements in order to maintain high safety levels at all times.
Gum Shields
More and more practices are performing dental X-rays, but this also means that you have to make a more conscious effort to protect patients against radiation.
Gum radiation shields are made from materials that block or shield against exposure, which is perfect for safeguarding patients during diagnostic procedures.
Equipment that Produces Radiation
There are many pieces of radiologic technologist equipment within a healthcare facility that can expose both professionals and patients to radiation. Let’s take a look at common devices found in radiology rooms:
Ultrasound Machine
Ultrasound machines use high-frequency radio waves and their echoes to form images of internal organs and other elements. Unlike others on this list, ultrasound machines generate non-harmful sound waves which are not damaging to cells so it’s perfect for imaging in sensitive areas and monitoring pregnancy.
X-Ray Scanner
In medical settings, X-ray scanners are used to assess the state of organs, as well as bones and similar structural elements in the body.
Simply put, these diagnostic procedures emit ionizing radiation to create a detailed image of a structure within the body. This includes bones and joints, so this imaging method is common when assessing parts of the body like the chest and abdomen.
Ionizing radiation plays a crucial role in DR machines, but exposure to this without the proper protection also causes long-term health issues.
Mounted Digital Radiography (DR)
Mounted digital radiography (DR) tests can be viewed as the modern version of traditional X-rays.
The main difference between DR and X-rays is that the former uses technology to enhance and render the images in digital format from the start. X-rays, on the other hand, still depend on a cassette-style system where a film has to be placed in the machine before each image is generated.
CT Scanner
CT scanners are another piece of diagnostic technology that utilizes X-rays to create detailed images of the test area. This device is used to detect and assess diseases like cancer and cardiovascular conditions as well as injuries due to trauma.
Practical Equipment
Besides the equipment used to protect patients and practitioners, it’s also essential to stock accessories designed for radiation exposure. All elements inside of your procedure room have to be resistant to radiation and easy to clean, so they shouldn’t contain any mechanisms or have areas that can store residual radiation.
Common accessories include:
- Imaging and treatment table
- Imaging and treatment chair
- Protective gloves
- Apron racks
- Protective pads and blankets
Barrier Technologies: Providing You with High-Quality Radiologic Equipment
Radiologic equipment can be very beneficial to both patients and your medical staff. But, as a facility manager, you have to ensure that your practitioners and everyone who is exposed to radiation are properly protected to avoid long-term health issues.
We encourage all hospital, dental facility, and healthcare center managers to verify their protective equipment and ensure it’s in great condition.
Moreover, you should also start and maintain a conversation with your radiation safety officer to make sure that your team and patients wear the appropriate protection at all times.
Contact Barrier Technologies today if you have any questions. Our goal is to make radiation protection a big priority for all facilities, so learn more by reaching out to our team.
