Basic radiation protection training for nurses and paramedical personnel: Belgian experience and future perspectives

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiological Protection
• Healthcare Education

Background:

• Ionising radiation is vital for medical diagnosis and treatment.
• Effective radiation protection is essential for patient safety.
• Belgian healthcare professionals require specific training in radiation protection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present experiences and challenges in a Belgian vocational training course for radiation protection.
• To propose a harmonized future approach for training content, level, and quality.
• To align training with European recommended standards.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing vocational training course experiences from a lecturer's perspective.
• Analysis of challenges encountered in training delivery.
• Development of a proposal for future training harmonization.

Main Results:

• Identified practical challenges in current radiation protection training for healthcare staff.
• Highlighted the need for standardized training content and quality.
• Proposed a framework for harmonizing training with European guidelines.

Conclusions:

• Current training approaches face challenges that impact effective radiation protection.
• Harmonization of training content and standards is necessary.
• Adopting European recommendations can enhance patient safety in radiological procedures.