The role of artificial intelligence in occupational health in radiation exposure: a scoping review of the literature.

Abstract

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to significantly enhance workplace safety and mitigate occupational radiation exposure risks by improving the accuracy of assessment and management of these hazards. This study aims to review research on the use of AI in the assessment, monitoring, control, and protection of occupational radiation exposure.

Method: This review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search was performed in the Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases from inception to April 2024. The search strategy was designed based on the PICO principle and included keywords related to artificial intelligence, occupational exposure, radiation, and industry. The inclusion criteria explored the application of artificial intelligence in the assessment, monitoring, control, and protection against occupational radiation exposure. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the MMAT critical appraisal tool.

Result: In this review, the initial literature search in the Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases identified 2920 articles. After removing duplicate references, screened based on title, keywords, and abstract, Ultimately, 59 eligible articles were selected, which utilized various artificial intelligence tools, such as expert systems, machine learning, deep learning, and other applied AI models. Of all the articles, 76% had high scores and were considered strong. These studies were categorized into three groups: supervision and assessment, detection and monitoring, protection, control, and personal protective equipment.

Conclusion: The successful application of AI can potentially improve occupational radiation exposure management, but several key challenges must be addressed. These include the need for high-quality training data, interpretability of complex AI algorithms, alignment with safety standards, integration with existing systems, and the lack of interdisciplinary expertise. Addressing these research gaps through further study and collaboration will be crucial to realizing the benefits of AI in this domain, which has long been a critical concern in human and work environments.