{"title":"Factors Affecting Gonadal Shielding Use Among Technologists in California.","authors":"Raymond T Ranada, Elwin Tilson, Kevin Clark","doi":"","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To assess the patient gonadal shielding practices of radiologic technologists in the state of California.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A survey invitation was sent via email to registered radiologic technologists in California to collect data to determine whether there were significant associations between gonadal shielding practices and various categorical variables, including patient sex, patient age, body part, availability of gonadal shielding protocols, availability of gonadal shields, and supervisor encouragement.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There was a significant association between gonadal shielding protocol availability and supervisor encouragement of using gonadal shielding (<i>P</i> = .005) and between gonadal shielding availability and supervisor encouragement of using gonadal shielding (<i>P</i> < .001). Contrary to other studies in the literature, there was a significant difference between patient sex and the likelihood of gonadal shielding use, with participants indicating that they shield girls and women more often than they shield boys and men (P < .001).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>There was a sex-based difference in the frequency of gonadal shielding usage among the sample in this study. Also, supervisors providing accessible protocols and encouraging gonadal shielding can increase technologists' use of gonadal shielding.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Gonadal shielding is the current Code of Federal Regulations standard, although most professional and scientific organizations support discontinuing shielding during abdominal and pelvic radiography examinations. Shielding of these areas is more likely to occur with the availability of gonadal shielding, supervisory encouragement, protocols mandating shielding, and state regulations.</p>","PeriodicalId":51772,"journal":{"name":"Radiologic Technology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Radiologic Technology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"RADIOLOGY, NUCLEAR MEDICINE & MEDICAL IMAGING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: To assess the patient gonadal shielding practices of radiologic technologists in the state of California.
Methods: A survey invitation was sent via email to registered radiologic technologists in California to collect data to determine whether there were significant associations between gonadal shielding practices and various categorical variables, including patient sex, patient age, body part, availability of gonadal shielding protocols, availability of gonadal shields, and supervisor encouragement.
Results: There was a significant association between gonadal shielding protocol availability and supervisor encouragement of using gonadal shielding (P = .005) and between gonadal shielding availability and supervisor encouragement of using gonadal shielding (P < .001). Contrary to other studies in the literature, there was a significant difference between patient sex and the likelihood of gonadal shielding use, with participants indicating that they shield girls and women more often than they shield boys and men (P < .001).
Discussion: There was a sex-based difference in the frequency of gonadal shielding usage among the sample in this study. Also, supervisors providing accessible protocols and encouraging gonadal shielding can increase technologists' use of gonadal shielding.
Conclusion: Gonadal shielding is the current Code of Federal Regulations standard, although most professional and scientific organizations support discontinuing shielding during abdominal and pelvic radiography examinations. Shielding of these areas is more likely to occur with the availability of gonadal shielding, supervisory encouragement, protocols mandating shielding, and state regulations.
期刊介绍:
Radiologic Technology is an official scholarly journal of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists. Published continuously since 1929, it circulates to more than 145,000 readers worldwide. This award-winning bimonthly Journal covers all disciplines and specialties within medical imaging, including radiography, mammography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine imaging, sonography and cardiovascular-interventional radiography. In addition to peer-reviewed research articles, Radi