Completely eliminating shielding could exacerbate ‘radiophobia’ among patients, rad techs warn
While eliminating gonadal and fetal shielding in radiology makes sense, the specialty should not end all use of lead aprons, one imaging group warned on Friday.
Last week, the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements recommended discounting such common use of shielding during abdominal and pelvic x-ray exams. The announcement drew praise from industry groups such as the American College of Radiology and the American Society of Radiologic Technologists.
However, the latter still supports the use of lead shielding during procedures where placement is “appropriate and aligned with minimizing patient radiation exposure.”
“The elimination of all patient shielding from standard practice could exacerbate the radiophobia that exists among the public and our patients due to widespread media coverage of the published risks associated with medical radiation exposure,” the ASRT said in a Jan. 15 statement.
The society gave the example of placing a lap shield on patients during x-ray imaging of extremities. Doing so comes with almost no risk for the individual, but may “significantly increase patient comfort and confidence,” the rad tech group noted, while also reaffirming the profession’s commitment to safety. ASRT said it plans to partner with others in the industry to work on informing the public about such practices.
“Before considering the elimination of all patient shielding as a standard practice during radiographic procedures, it is essential that we educate our patients and healthcare colleagues on the recent advances in technology that have dramatically reduced patient radiation dose, as well as the indispensable role that radiologic technologists serve in the provision of safe and high-quality medical imaging procedures,” the group wrote.
For more on the movement to abandon shielding in the imaging profession, you can check out this story from last year.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.