Multicentric Study on the Relation between Perceived Department Radiation Shielding Policies and Staff Radiation Shielding Conscientiousness

Personal protective equipment (PPE), including personal garments as well as in-room devices, is crucial to minimize ionizing radiation exposure during fluoroscopy-guided procedures. However, recent studies have highlighted a lack of knowledge and awareness between and within departments about the use and risks of ionizing radiation and radiation safety. Employees differ in their conscientiousness regarding PPE and perceive the program regarding PPE differently. It has been shown that being conscientious about safety precedes safety behavior and can be triggered through increased perception of the present safety policy. This study explores the relation between employees' perception of the PPE program and their PPE conscientiousness. Employees from interventional cardiology (IC), interventional radiology (IR), and vascular surgery (VS) were invited to complete anonymously a self-administered online survey assessing the perceived PPE program, their own PPE conscientiousness, and demographics. Associations between PPE program and PPE conscientiousness were investigated using forward stepwise regression on a significance level of 5%. Study variables were standardized. Sixty-one out of the 72 (84.7%) participants answered the survey fully. The PPE program was positively associated with PPE conscientiousness [ beta =0.32 (CI: 0.02 to 0.51)]. This association was found to be department-dependent (p-value < 0.001). Significant mean differences in PPE conscientiousness were found between IC and IR and between IC and VS, respectively [ beta =1.25 (CI: 0.69 to 1.82)] and [ beta =0.63 (CI: 0.06 to 1.20)]. This study is the first to investigate the relation between the perceived PPE program and employees' PPE conscientiousness. The positive association between PPE program and PPE conscientiousness suggests that employees' perception of the prevailing PPE program in their department might influence their PPE conscientiousness. Therefore, policy makers are recommended to not only improve their PPE program but also enhance employees' perception of the reigning PPE program in order to foster their radiation shielding behavior.