Understanding radiation exposure and improving safety for vascular surgery trainees.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Radiation Safety
• Vascular Surgery

Background:

• Trainees in an integrated vascular surgery program exceeded annual radiation exposure limits.
• Existing radiation safety education and policies were insufficient.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify root causes of excessive radiation exposure in trainees.
• Implement interventions to improve radiation safety education, oversight, and exposure levels.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary committee convened to identify causes and actions.
• Radiation exposure reports for postgraduate trainees (PGY 4-7) were analyzed pre- and post-intervention.
• Interventions were categorized into policies, curriculum, environment, resources, and equipment.

Main Results:

• Multiple trainees surpassed annual radiation exposure limits.
• Multisite program structure and a single high-exposure hospital site were key factors.
• Following interventions, monthly average radiation levels at the high-exposure site decreased from 936 mrem to 272 mrem.

Conclusions:

• Current safety policies in vascular surgery programs are often inadequate.
• Effective interventions include ensuring safety equipment availability, hands-on training, adjusting equipment settings, and real-time dosimetry.