Abstract
Radiation protection is supported by three pillars: justification, optimization and dose limitation. The safe use of ionizing radiation is governed by the limits of public and occupational exposure, justification and optimization for medical exposures. In Brazil there are at least 200,000 professionals working in medical facilities that involve the use of ionizing radiation. There are standards in radiation protection that establish the obligation of the performance of certified professionals in the facilities through pre-established criteria. The certification in radiation protection assesses the skills, knowledge and competence of the professionals. A survey, classification and detailed analysis of the mandatory requirements by the regulatory body for professional performance in this area were carried out as well as the competencies and skills required in the radiation protection standards in force in the country. The results obtained in this evaluation demonstrated that the certification process of these professionals aims at higher quality and optimization of the medicals procedures performed. The direct beneficiaries of this process would be the practitioners themselves and patients of medical practices involving the use of ionizing radiations. Certifying medical professionals in radiation protection would meet the demand of national standards that require a quality control of those involved in medical treatments using ionizing radiations.
Highlights
Radiological protection aims the use of ionizing radiation to the public benefit, covering all exposures incurred by people and the environment, always protecting human beings and the ecosystem of possible undesirable effects [1]
There is a discrepancy between the numbers of medical physicist (MP) certificates in radiotherapy in relation to the specialty in nuclear medicine; - For radiotherapy the professionals' assignments in the area of treatment planning and equipment quality control are well defined in CNEN and ANVISA standards; there was no repressed demand in the sector for the certification of professionals in this area. - It was observed that there are professionals who work in nuclear medicine, radiotherapy or radiology who do not have their qualification and certification required by current regulations
That the number of professionals working in this area is not registered and their certification by qualification is not established; and - The regulatory agency in the PR area in Brazil, CNEN, only performs Radiation Protection Officers (RPO) certification by CNEN-NN-7.01 [16] which requires college level qualification, in a process of personnel certification who is not yet accredited by INMETRO
Summary
Radiological protection aims the use of ionizing radiation to the public benefit, covering all exposures incurred by people and the environment, always protecting human beings and the ecosystem of possible undesirable effects [1]. The safe use of ionizing radiation is governed by public and occupational exposure limits and by individual monitoring of workers. These limits are based on international recommendations from IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and ICRP (International Commission on Radiological Protection) besides national standards. The direct beneficiaries would be professionals and patients of medical practices involving the use of ionizing radiation. This certification of the medical professionals would meet the standard requirements that demand the fulfillment of the quality control of all personnel involved in medical treatment or diagnosis procedures using ionizing radiation
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