A SURVEY OF RADIATION EXPOSURE IN PEDIATRIC PRACTICE

[摘要] The work habits and equipment of 44 Cincinnati pediatricians who use fluoroscopes in office practice were studied to determine radiation exposure. Several pediatricians shared fluoroscopes, so the study involved 34 machines, representing 14 different makes.A time-totalizer, made expressly for this study, obtained time-of-use data on 29 of the 34 fluoroscopes.Sixteen fluoroscopes were used less than 1½ minutes per week. Three exceeded 7 minutes per week, with the maximum being 11¾ minutes per week.A laboratory coat with 10 pocket chambers was given to each physician for a week to be worn during fluoroscopy. The pocket chambers were located over various areas of the body to determine exposure at each point.All chambers worn by 31 physicians recorded less than 50 mr. Five doctors had one or two chambers that went beyond the 200 mr scale of the chamber.Twenty-two fluoroscopes had useful-beam dose rates greater than the presently accepted maximal allowable limit.

[学科分类] 儿科学