New programme on radiation safety
AN updated e-learning programme on radiation safety has been produced.
IPEM and Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare (HEE e-LfH) worked in partnership to update the e-RADS programme.
e-RADS supports the information, instruction and training required under Regulation 15(1) of the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR2017), which requires that employees working with ionising radiations are to be provided with suitable information to avoid being unnecessarily exposed. The programme is suitable for non-specialist staff who do not normally work with ionising radiations. It may also provide a useful introductory/refresher resource for trainees and colleagues working in departments using ionising radiations.
The programme identifies the importance of following the safety precautions that are in place to avoid being unnecessarily exposed and covers the basic principles associated with keeping their own exposure as low as reasonably possible.
Each session within the programme lasts approximately 20 to 30 minutes. The programme comprises the following the topics:
- Radiotherapy, including external beam, brachytherapy and unsealed source therapy
- Diagnostic imaging using X-rays, including planar imaging and fluoroscopy
- Diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine
- Interventional radiology and cardiology.
e-RADS was originally developed for national use, with the support of expert authors within the NHS. In 2020, the programme was revised and updated to reflect the requirements of IRR2017 and new technologies and techniques involving the use of ionising radiations in healthcare.
IPEM Fellow Mark Knight, Head of Radiation Physics at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, was the clinical lead and lead editor for the e-RADS programme.