The practice of radiation protection in an interventional neuroradiology service

INTRODUCTION: Interventional neuroradiology procedures subject professionals who work in this area to high doses of ionizing radiation, and such exposure leads to a higher chance of occupational diseases related to this physical risk. Radiation protection practices aim to reduce the occurrence of such damage to the health of these workers. OBJECTIVES: To identify how the practice of radiation protection occurs in a multidisciplinary team of an interventional neuroradiology service in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. METHODS: A qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive research conducted with nine health professionals from the multidisciplinary team. Non-participant observation and a survey form were used as data collection techniques. For data analysis, descriptive analysis based on absolute and relative frequency and content analysis were used. RESULTS: Although some practices showed the use of radiation protection measures in practice, such as workers taking turns to perform procedures and continuous use of the lead apron as well as the mobile suspended protection, we found that most of the practices violate the principles of radiation protection. Among these inadequate radiological protection practices, the following aspects were observed: not wearing lead goggles, not using collimation to obtain the image, poor knowledge of the principles of radiation protection and biological effects of ionizing radiation, and non-use of an individual dosimeter. CONCLUSIONS: There was a lack of know-how of the multidisciplinary team working in interventional neuroradiology regarding the practice of radiation protection.