Does Radiological Protection Training or a Real-Time Staff Dosemeter Display Reduce Staff Doses During X-Ray-Guided Pulmonary Bronchoscopy?

X-ray guided interventions have increased in number and complexity. Mandatory radiological protection training includes both theoretical and practical training sessions. A recent additional training tool is real-time display dosimeters that give direct feedback to staff on their individual dose rates. Ten staff members who regularly perform pulmonary bronchoscopy wore an extra dosimeter during four two-month periods. We controlled for the patient air kerma area product and the number of procedures in each period. Between periods one and two, radiological training sessions were held and during period three, the staff used the real-time dose rate display system. Focus-group interviews with the staff were held to obtain their opinion about learning radiological protection. We hypothesised that neither training nor the additional real-time dose rate display alters the personal dose equivalent, Hp(d); d=0.07 and 10 mm. Useful experiences from radiological protection training were obtained, and median staff doses did typically decrease, however not always significantly.Funding: Region Ostergotland, Sweden [03007112]