Radiation Safety for Nurses
Included In This Lesson
Outline
Overview
- Radiation
- Reducing exposure
- Proper PPE
- Care for the radiated patient
- How to protect yourself
Nursing Points
General
- Reducing Exposure
- Keep a safe distance
- Minimize time spent in exposure
- Don’t touch implants
- Proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
- Gloves/double gloving
- Goggles
- Respirator
- Shoe covers
- Care for the radiated patient
- Leave trash, linens and leftover food
- Removed by radiation officers
- Immediately discard body fluids
- Share responsibility with other HCPs
- Wear a dosimeter
- Leave trash, linens and leftover food
- How to protect yourself
- Lead aprons
- Completely cover the exposed areas
- Only be around radiation when absolutely necessary
- Don’t enter unless necessary
- Lead aprons
Nursing Concepts
- Safety
Patient Education
- Educate patient on ways to properly manage exposure at home
- Wash linens
- Double glove
- Remove waste properly and promptly
Transcript
In today’s lesson, we’re going to look at radiation safety.
Radiation what? Why radiation safety?
No, you’re not going to turn into some superhero, but as nurses, we are often exposed to radiation from machines, and we need to protect ourselves and our patients.
Radiation is a really complicated science. But what we need to know as nurses is what precautions we need to take with our patients so that we limit and reduce our exposure.
The two biggest factors that we have control over are time and distance. When we have a patient who received recent radiation or are in an area that emits radiation, we can keep our distance from them.
Also, you want to minimize the time you’re exposed to radiation. This is where clustering your care can really be to your advantage. Think of ALL of the things you have to do and get them done quickly. By doing this, you’ll reduce the amount of time you’re exposed.
For some patients they need something called a radioactive implant for their treatment for cancer and other diseases. If your patient has a radioactive implant, such as a seed, be sure to not touch them with bare hands. Always glove up so you don’t get exposed. Also know if your facility or unit has personnel trained to deal with these types of implants and let them properly discard them.
If you do have to have contact with your patient who received radiation, just use your PPE to limit your risk of exposure. Be sure to use gloves or double gloving when dealing with body fluids and use boots or shoe covers to keep your feet protected. . If you are at risk of getting splashed (think emptying the foley), then wear goggles.
Respirators aren’t usually necessary, but in certain diagnostic tests, it may be more common to see the use of them. Pay attention to unit and facility policy on what‘s actually required.
Now, when you’re caring for your patient, leave the trash, linens and any leftover food in the right bins in the room. When you take them out, you can expose other people to radiation. There are people designated and trained to deal with irradiated materials, and they’ll take care of them. Immediately discard body fluids in the right areas, like flushing promptly as long as it’s not contraindicated by your facility.
The other thing you’ll want to do in reducing your own exposure is to split the time up with other providers. If there is a task that a UAP could perform (under proper delegation), have them do it so that you don’t spend your entire day being potentially exposed. This uses your time more wisely and reduces your overall exposure to the potential radiation.
Also, depending on your unit, you may be required to wear a radiation badge called a dosimeter. It measures the amount of exposure you receive and is sent off to a laboratory to make sure that you aren’t getting too much exposure and also to make sure that the equipment isn’t radiating improperly. If it is, they can make necessary adjustments to the machines.
Sometimes you’ll have to be around radiation, and that’s ok. Don’t let it scare you. Radiation and radiation exposure can potentially cause fetal growth and development problems.. So, if you’re pregnant or thinking of conceiving, consider talking to your charge nurse about changing assignments to keep you from being exposed.
But if you do have to be around equipment, like in interventional radiology or the cath lab, be sure to wear a lead apron. If you turn your back to the machine, make sure your apron covers your back as well. Only be around radiation when you have to, so if you can step away behind a protected wall, then that’s best.
Today, we focused on our protecting our patients from radiation, so today’s concept is about safety.
Ok, let’s recap.
When dealing with radiation, be sure to reduce your exposure by limiting your time with the patient or the area and keep your distance if possible.
Use whatever PPE your unit calls for, and know which ones apply to your situation.
Don’t haphazardly discard supplies. Put them in the correct areas and let the right people dispose of them.
Be sure to wear your lead apron when you need to.
Also, if your patient has a radioactive device that dislodges, don’t touch it with bare hands and notify the right people.
That’s it for this lesson on radiation safety. Make sure you check out all the resources attached to this lesson. Now, go out and be your best selves today. And, as always, happy nursing!!
Tiona RN
Concepts Covered:
- Studying
- Medication Administration
- Adult
- Emergency Care of the Cardiac Patient
- Intraoperative Nursing
- Microbiology
- Cardiac Disorders
- Vascular Disorders
- Nervous System
- Upper GI Disorders
- Central Nervous System Disorders – Brain
- Immunological Disorders
- Fundamentals of Emergency Nursing
- Dosage Calculations
- Understanding Society
- Circulatory System
- Concepts of Pharmacology
- Hematologic Disorders
- Newborn Care
- Adulthood Growth and Development
- Disorders of Pancreas
- Postoperative Nursing
- Pregnancy Risks
- Neurological
- Postpartum Complications
- Noninfectious Respiratory Disorder
- Peripheral Nervous System Disorders
- Learning Pharmacology
- Prenatal Concepts
- Tissues and Glands
- Developmental Considerations
- Factors Influencing Community Health
- Childhood Growth and Development
- Prenatal and Neonatal Growth and Development
- Developmental Theories
- Basic
- Neonatal
- Pediatric
- Gastrointestinal
- Newborn Complications
- Labor Complications
- Fetal Development
- Terminology
- Labor and Delivery
- Postpartum Care
- Communication
- Basics of Mathematics
- Statistics
- Basics of Sociology
- Cardiovascular
- Shock
- Shock
- Disorders of the Posterior Pituitary Gland
- Endocrine
- Disorders of the Thyroid & Parathyroid Glands
- Liver & Gallbladder Disorders
- Lower GI Disorders
- Respiratory
- Delegation
- Perioperative Nursing Roles
- Acute & Chronic Renal Disorders
- Respiratory Emergencies
- Disorders of the Adrenal Gland
- Documentation and Communication
- Preoperative Nursing
- Legal and Ethical Issues
- Oncology Disorders
- Female Reproductive Disorders
- Musculoskeletal Trauma
- Renal Disorders
- Male Reproductive Disorders
- Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Infectious Respiratory Disorder
- Integumentary Disorders
- Emergency Care of the Trauma Patient
- Urinary Disorders
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- EENT Disorders
- Neurological Emergencies
- Disorders of Thermoregulation
- Neurological Trauma
- Basics of NCLEX
- Integumentary Important Points
- Multisystem
- Test Taking Strategies
- Urinary System
- Emergency Care of the Neurological Patient
- Central Nervous System Disorders – Spinal Cord
- Respiratory System
- Emergency Care of the Respiratory Patient
- Cognitive Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders
- Depressive Disorders
- Trauma-Stress Disorders
- Substance Abuse Disorders
- Bipolar Disorders
- Psychotic Disorders
- Concepts of Mental Health
- Eating Disorders
- Personality Disorders
- Health & Stress
- Psychological Emergencies
- Somatoform Disorders
- Prioritization
- Community Health Overview
- Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Integumentary Disorders
- Respiratory Disorders
- Neurologic and Cognitive Disorders
- Renal and Urinary Disorders
- Infectious Disease Disorders
- EENT Disorders
- Hematologic Disorders
- Cardiovascular Disorders
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders
- Oncologic Disorders
- Behavior
- Emotions and Motivation
- Growth & Development
- Intelligence and Language
- Psychological Disorders
- State of Consciousness
- Note Taking
- Concepts of Population Health
- Basics of Human Biology