Radiation safety in endoscopy settings

A large number of investigations in gastroenterology involve exposing the patient to radiation by radiological screening or by administering a radioactive isotope and on some occasions both. Radiation can harm patients, staff and endoscopes. Radiation is a hazard; it can modify mole­cules within body cells, causing cell dysfunction, alteration or halt in cell replication, or cell destruction. Radiation safety in the practice setting is a responsibility shared by the department of radiology, the department of radiation safety/ health physics, and endoscopy personnel. In this web page translation, it is focused on rules and procedures for assisting the endoscopy staff in reducing radiation exposure for the patient and the staff in the endoscopy practice set­ting. Radiation policies and procedures should be written, reviewed annually, and accessible to all endoscopy personnel. It should be planned to provide direction for staff in endoscopy set­tings in the development of radiation safety policies and procedures. Educational requirements of health professionals should be met by in-sservice programmes periodically.

Endoskopi Birimlerinde Radyasyon Güvenliği