Quality Improvement: Staff Radiation Exposure Reduction While Maintaining Patient Safety

Abstract Radiology nurses continuously strive for improved patient safety. However, these practices may lead to unanticipated decreased staff safety. The Department of Radiology at our institution involves radiology nurses in adult and pediatric diagnostic and interventional settings. The radiology practice is a high-throughput area where almost 400 computed tomographic scans are performed daily. Nursing leadership identified an increase in quarterly dosimeter readings among staff and found that the root cause was linked to insufficient education and practices regarding radiation exposure times. The goal of the present project was to educate staff on the importance of reduced radiation exposure times.