• Journal of radiological science and technology
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.469-476
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study examines the education, knowledge and behavior of radiation safety management among dental workers and compares the education, knowledge and behavior between dental hygienist group and other occupational groups. This study was conducted from November 2nd to November14th, 2019. The survey was conducted on dental workers(dental hygienists, nursing, assistants, coordinators, etc.) who worked in dental hospitals and clinics in Busan area. The tool of this study was modified and adapted to the clinical setting based on the questionnaire. Radiation safety education has 39 dental hygienists who had more education than non-dental hygienists (p=0.286). The most common types of radiation safety education were self-education which usually performed by dentistry, followed by conservative education and others. The average of radiation attitudes, knowledge and behaviors was higher in the dental hygienist group then in the non-dental hygienist group. On the item-specific behavior among employees, the question of 'the radiation should be shielded according to the menstrual cycle or pregnancy of the woman of childbearing' was significant (p<0.05). On the item-specific knowledge between occupations, the question of 'the intensity of X-rays decreases over distance' and 'the individual exposure can be measured by TLD badge or film badge' was significant (p<0.05). Taken together, these results indicate that the dental hygienist group is more concerned about radiation safety and that the dental hygienist group is receiving more radiation safety management training. However, if there is a low level of 'has experienced' in the presence or absence of safety management education, it is difficult to train radiation safety management in dentistry. Therefore, it is considered that dentists should be trained in radiation safety management periodically to pay attention to radiation safety accidents.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
• /
• v.14 no.6
• /
• pp.849-857
• /
• 2014

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the knowledge and attitude toward radiation safety management in dental clinic worker. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was filled out by 294 dental clinic workers in dental hospitals and clinics in Gwangju and Jeonnam from February 17 to March 30, 2014. The questionnaire consisted of general characteristics of radiation safety(8 questions), knowledge of radiation safety(15 questions), and attitudes of radiation safety(16 questions). The survey was done by Likert 5 scale method. Results: In completion of the radiodontia courses, 84.0% of the learners were female workers. 88.0% of the learners took the theoretical and practical courses. Those who work in the university dental hospital accounted for 87.1% and those in dental clinics accounted for 83.2%. Majority of the workers took on Leaden protective clothing in order to protect the thyroid gland. Male workers had more knowledge toward the radiation safety management than the female workers. The attitude toward the radiation safety management revealed the significant differences between age, gender, academic careers, license, clinical careers and the mean number of patients per day(p<0.05). Conclusions: The radiation safety management is very important in dental clinical workers and it is necessary to enhance the attitude toward the radiation safety through continuous education.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.335-341
• /
• 2012

This study conducted a survey targeting at dental hygienists working in medical institutions located in Daegu, Pusan, Ulsan Metropolitan City and Gyeongnam and Gyeongbuk Province from July 18th to August 26th 2011, in order to study factors which affect radiation safety management behaviors and improve levels of those behaviors. The results of this study are as follows. 1. There were significant differences in radiation safety management knowledge of dental hygienists, according to service institutions (p<.001), the current state of defense facilities (p<.006) and the necessity for safety management education (p<.012). 2. There were significant differences in radiation safety management attitudes, according to age (p<.014), service institutions (p<.003), work experience (p<.009), educational level (p<.002), the current state of defense facilities (p<.015), the necessity for safety management education (p<.005) and the intention to take part in the education (p<.036). 3. There were significant differences in radiation safety management behaviors, depending on experience in safety management education (p<.068), measurement of exposed dose (p<.010), the state of defense facilities (p<.001). 4. There were statistically positive correlations between radiation safety management knowledge and attitude, and between radiation safety management attitude and behavior (p<.05). 5. The regular measurement of exposed dose (p<.046) and the present state of defense facilities (p<.001) were found to be factors to affect radiation safety management behaviors. In conclusion, it is considered that building perfect defense facilities of radiology rooms and measuring the exposed does of dental hygienists on a regular basis to alert them to the danger of radiation is considerably important to improve radiation safety management behaviors.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.7
• /
• pp.2613-2617
• /
• 2015

Radiation induced lung injury has long been considered a treatment limiting factor for patients requiring thoracic radiation. This radiation induced lung injury happens early as well as late. Radiation induced lung injury can occur in two phases viz. early (< 6 months) when it is called radiation pneumonitis and late (>6 months) when it is called radiation induced lung fibrosis. There are multiple factors that can be patient, disease or treatment related that predict the incidence and severity of radiation pneumonitis. Radiation induced damage to the type I pneumocytes is the triggering factor to initiate such reactions. Over the years, radiation therapy has witnessed a paradigm shift in radiation planning and delivery and successfully reduced the incidence of lung injury. Radiation pneumonitis is usually a diagnosis of exclusion. Steroids, ACE inhibitors and pentoxyphylline constitute the cornerstone of therapy. Radiation induced lung fibrosis is another challenging aspect. The pathophysiology of radiation fibrosis includes continuing inflammation and microvascular changes due to pro-angiogenic and profibrogenic stimuli resembling those in adult bronchiectasis. General supportive management, mobilization of airway secretions, anti-inflammatory therapy and management of acute exacerbations remains the treatment option. Radiation induced lung injury is an inevitable accompaniment of thoracic radiation.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.18 no.11
• /
• pp.367-373
• /
• 2017

The O2O service is an efficient way to operate based on systematic connection of the offline and online states. At present, education, health checkups, and exposure management of radiation workers are separated from offline and online at nuclear-related workplaces. Therefore, we developed a radiation workers management program at the workplace and tried to link online and offline states. After applying the program to the local network, we developed a written employee management system as a computer program and applied it to radiation workers and radiation safety managers at a university hospital in Daejeon using a questionnaire. As a result of the survey, the results of this program can enhance the awareness of safety management and work convenience. There is also a demand for radiation closed workers as well as radiation relative workers. It will be necessary to collect opinions regarding the characteristics of each workplace for the generalization of the radiation workers management program. As a result, real-time radiation safety management and work improvement can be expected through network connections between the workplace, supervisory authority, and related organizations in the future. If a circle structure is formed using the employee management program, development of radiation safety management can be expected.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.97-118
• /
• 2022

The use of diagnostic radiation in medical institutions is rapidly increasing. Accordingly, the collective effective dose is on the rise every year. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the radiation exposure of the person undergoing the radiation examination as low as reasonably achievable. And we must establish a legal system to perform the safe management of radiation for diagnosis efficiently. In this way, I went over the problems of the Act and Subordinate Statutes regarding radiation safety management for diagnosis. As a result, the main contents are as follows. First, in the 「Medical Service Act」, there is no basis for the Safety Inspection Institute of Radiation and Radiation Exposure Measuring Institutes. And there are no provisions concerning delegation of administrative disposition. Therefore, it is necessary to secure legal justification by providing the basis for the Safety Inspection Institute of Radiation along with Radiation Exposure Measuring Institutes and the basis for administrative dispositions against these institutions in the 「Medical Service Act」. Second, the 「Rules on the Installation and Operation of Special Medical Equipment 」 should be integrated with the 「Rules on the Safety Management of Radiation Generators for Diagnostics」 to unify administrative procedures such as reporting for radiation special medical equipment for diagnosis. Third, in the case of violating the diagnostic radiation safety management standards in the 「Rules on the Safety Management of Radiation Generators for Diagnostics」, it is necessary to supplement the insufficient sanctions such as administrative disposition. Fourth, regulating diagnostic radiation and therapeutic radiation used in medical institutions with the dual legal system of the 「Medical Act」 and the 「Nuclear Safety Act」 is not efficient in the safety management of diagnostic radiation. Therefore, it is necessary to uniformly regulate diagnostic radiation and all medical radiation, including therapeutic radiation and nuclear medicine, in the 「Medical Service Act」 system.

• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.83-91
• /
• 2021

Various types of high-precision radiotherapy, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), tomotherapy (Tomo), and stereotactic body radiation therapy have been available since 1997. After being covered by insurance in 2015, the number of IMRT cases rapidly increased 18-fold from 2011 to 2018 in Korea. IMRT, which uses a high-beam irradiation monitor unit, requires higher shielding conditions than conventional radiation treatments. However, to date, research on the shielding of facilities using IMRT and the current understanding of its status are insufficient, and detailed safety regulation procedures have not been established. This study investigated the recommended criteria for the shielding evaluation of facilities using medical linear accelerators (LINACs), including 1) the current status of safety management regulations and systems in domestic and international facilities using medical LINACs and 2) the current status of the recommended standards for safety management in domestic and international facilities using medical LINACs. It is necessary to develop and introduce a safety management system for facilities using LINACs for clinical applications that is suitable for the domestic medical environment and corresponds to the safety management systems for LINACs used overseas.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.43-48
• /
• 2012

Purpose: To develop the dose volume histogram (DVH) management software which guides the evaluation of radiotherapy (RT) plan of a new case according to the biological consequences of the DVHs from the previously treated patients. Materials and Methods: We determined the radiation pneumonitis (RP) as an biological response parameter in order to develop DVH management software. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of lung cancer patients treated with curative 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT). The biological event was defined as RP of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) grade III or more. Results: The DVH management software consisted of three parts (pre-existing DVH database, graphical tool, and $Pinnacle^3$ script). The pre-existing DVH data were retrieved from 128 patients. RP events were tagged to the specific DVH data through retrospective review of patients' medical records. The graphical tool was developed to present the complication histogram derived from the preexisting database (DVH and RP) and was implemented into the radiation treatment planning (RTP) system, $Pinnacle^3$ v8.0 (Phillips Healthcare). The software was designed for the pre-existing database to be updated easily by tagging the specific DVH data with the new incidence of RP events at the time of patients' follow-up. Conclusion: We developed the DVH management software as an effective tool to incorporate the phenomenological consequences derived from the pre-existing database in the evaluation of a new RT plan. It can be used not only for lung cancer patients but also for the other disease site with different toxicity parameters.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.101-108
• /
• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate safety management awareness and behavioral investigation of radiation/radioactivity performance defenses of radiation workers' in medical institutions. Data collection consisted of 267 radiation workers working in medical institutions using structured questionnaires. As a result, it was analyzed that radiation safety management awareness and performance were high in 40s, 50s group and higher education group. The analysis according to the radiation safety management knowledge was analyzed that the "Know very well" group had higher scores on awareness and performance scores. The analysis according to the degree of safety management effort showed the high awareness scale and the performance scale in the group "Receiving various education or studying the safety management contents through book". The correlations between the sub-factors showed the highest positive correlation between perceived practician and personal perspective and perceived by patient and patient's caretaker perspective. Therefore, radiation safety management for workers, patients, and patient's caretaker should be conducted through continuous education of radiation safety management through various routes of radiation workers working at medical institutions.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.222-228
• /
• 2017

Background: On June 18, 2017, Korea's first commercial nuclear reactor, the Kori Nuclear Power Plant No. 1, was permanently suspended, and the capacity of nuclear power generation facilities will be adjusted according to the governments denuclearization policy. In these circumstances, it is necessary to assess the quality of radiation safety management in nuclear power plants in Korea by evaluating the radiation dose associated with them. Materials and Methods: The average annual radiation dose per unit, the annual radiation dose per person, and the annual dose distribution were analyzed using the radiation dose database of nuclear reactors for the last 5 years. The results of our analysis were compared to the specifications of the Nuclear Safety Act and Medical Law in Korea. Results and Discussion: The annual average per unit radiation dose of global major nuclear power generation was 720 man-mSv, while that of Korea's nuclear power plants was 374 manmSv. No workers exceeded 50 mSv per year or 100 mSv in 5 years. The individual radiation dose according to occupational exposure was 0.59 mSv for nuclear workers, 1.77 mSv for non-destructive workers, and 0.8 mSv for diagnostic radiologists. Conclusion: The radiation safety management of nuclear power plants in Korea has achieved the best outcomes worldwide, which is considered to be the result of the as-low-as-reasonably-achievable (ALARA) approach and strict radiation safety management. Moreover, the occupational exposures were also very low.