Compliance with infection control and radiation protection measures during COVID-19 in the UAE's radiology department

INTRODUCTION: To guarantee patient safety and prevent the future transmission of the COVID-19 virus, radiology staff members must have solid knowledge, expertise and commitment to radiation protection and infection control practices. Compliance and adherence to infection control and radiation protection during COVID-19 radiography were examined in this study. METHODS: Online cross-sectional research was conducted using an electronic survey. The survey collected participants’ demographics, radiation protection compliance, and infection control practices during COVID-19 patients' radiography procedures. RESULTS: The participants adhered to patient protection and self-protection by 89.2% and 90.2%, respectively. The total adherence to radiation protection practices score was 80.2%. Older participants with more experience had significantly higher adherence scores (P = 0.0001). However, there was no discernible difference in adherence scores between the participants’ educational backgrounds. The individuals’ mean and standard deviation for infection control were 87.5% ± 16.28, respectively. Additionally, a large percentage of participants (95%) demonstrated good adherence to infection-control measures. CONCLUSION: To promote adherence to and compliance with radiation safety and infection control, ongoing guidance, training, and follow-up is advised. To close the practice and knowledge gap, educational institutions and professional organisations must work together to offer structured training programmes for radiology practitioners.