Criteria for designating nurses as radiation workers in Japan

In Japan, individual medical facilities are responsible for deciding whether their nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals are legally designated as radiation workers and thereby subject to radiation control measures. The designation criteria vary across individual institutions, causing inconsistencies that make workers performing similar roles receive different designations. In March 2020, the Radiological Nursing Society of Japan developed the 'Guidelines for the Designation of Nurses as Radiation Workers', proposing criteria for designating nurses as radiation workers. In developing the guideline, a survey of 3000 hospitals in Japan was conducted. The survey found that many hospitals did not have a standard for designating nurses as radiation workers; however, they did so based on the department to which the nurses belonged and the nature of their work. Based on these surveyed results, the guideline divides nurses into three categories: (A) radiation worker, (B) temporary visitors to the controlled area, and (C) general nurse who does not fall under radiation worker or temporary entry. In the future, we will conduct publicity campaigns to make the guidelines accessible to as many medical professionals as possible.