Vetnuus | December 2024 15 Table 1. Roles performed by personnel during the portable X-ray (number of respondents). Table 2. Radiation protection equipment worn by each role during the X-ray. Table 3. Caseload of participants who did not know their dosemeter type. Table 4. Additional radiation safety training and dosemeter usage. Conclusion As this study focused only on the radiation protection practices of equine veterinary practitioners during portable X-ray examinations, further research intoradiation protection practices within the veterinary clinic would be beneficial. Radiation safety practices may differ in a dedicated X-ray room and in different modalities. The findings of this study will prove usefulin future research into radiation safety in the veterinary profession and for comparison with the radiation protection aspects of other areas of equine radiography, such as CT. This study found compliance with the guidelines set out by the EPA to be reasonably good, but with definite room for improvement. Less than half of the survey respondents (41%) wear a personal dosemeter for every X-ray they take, despite guidance from the EPA stating that radiation dosemeters should be wornduring equine radiography. Nearly a quarter (23%)of participants who perform portable X-rays indicatedthat they would repeat an image in most of the examinations they perform, leading to increased radiation doses. This study set out to obtain a snapshot of the radiation safety practices during portable equine radio- graphy in Ireland and has successfully achieved this goal. Operator (positions X-ray tube) Restrainer (controls the horse) Assistant (positions and holds the image receptor) Exposer (presses thebutton to expose) Not usually involved Veterinary practitioner 23 1 12 22 0 Veterinary nurse 3 10 12 3 3 Veterinary student 1 8 13 1 6 Horse owner/yard worker 1 19 8 0 2 Lead apron dose monitoring device Thyroid shield Lead gloves Operator (positions X-ray tube) 20 16 12 1 Restrainer (controls the horse) 20 3 7 0 Assistant (positions and holds the image receptor) 20 15 13 11 Exposer (presses the button to expose) 17 10 9 0 Perform <10 portableX-rays per week Perform more than 10X-rays per week Did not know the type of monitor they use 6 1 Wear a personal dosemeterduring every X-ray Do not wear a personal dosemeter during every X-ray Have had additional radiation safety training Have not had additional radiation safety training 4 8 0 17 SCAN THE QR CODE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
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