Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Personnel in Operating Room, ERCP, and ESWL Towards Radiation Hazards and Protection

Recently, X-rays radiation hazards rise with the exposure of patients and personnel. Exposure of people to radiation in the operating rooms is an important problem to study the safety of personnel and patients. To date, few studies are accomplished to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) among personnel in hospitals. The current study aimed at evaluating KAP level of radiation hazards and protection amongst personnel in the operating room.

A questionnaire-based, cross sectional study was conducted in 11 provinces of Iran from 2014 to 2015. Respondents in the current study were 332 personnel of operating room, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy. Demographic characteristics, as well as knowledge, attitude, and practice levels of operating room personnel were collected. The selected hospitals were 3 types (educational, non-educational, and private clinics) located in 5 different regions of Iran (Tehran, Center, East, North, and West). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 and statistical analyses were accomplished with the one-way ANOVA.

The current study results showed no statistically significant difference in the KAP level of operating room personnel towards radiation protection for both genders (P = 0.1), time since graduation (P = 0.4), and work experience (P = 0.1). According to the analyses, the highest level of KAP concerning radiation protection was observed in the personnel of private clinics (mean score = 53.60) and the lowest value was observed in non-educational hospitals (mean score = 45.61). Besides, the KAP level was significantly higher in the Northern region (P < 0.0001) and the lowest was observed in the hospital personnel of the Central region (mean score = 34.27).

The current study findings showed that the level of KAP regarding radiation protection among operating room personnel was inadequate and it is necessary to pay attention to the principles of radiation protection in the operating room. In this regard, holding courses on radiation protection and an elaborate educational program might be useful.