Evaluating radiation protection knowledge and practices in operating room personnel: a cross-sectional study

Although radiation hazards are prevalent in the operating room, making radiation protection critical for occupational safety, the current status of radiation-related knowledge and compliance with radiation safety practices remains suboptimal in many operating rooms. This study aimed to evaluate the current status and identify the influencing factors of radiation protection knowledge, safety practices, and compliance among operating room personnel. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among operating room personnel in hospitals at various levels in Hunan Province, China, using the Healthcare Professional Knowledge of Radiation Protection (HPKRP) scale was employed to assess radiation-related knowledge and a self-designed questionnaire to evaluate participants' radiation protection compliance. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS 27.0, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. A total of 381 participants were surveyed, including 349 operating room nurses (91.6%), 13 anesthesiologists (3.41%), and 19 surgeons (4.99%). Among these participants, 206 (54.07%) participants had received radiation-related training and only 27.8% routinely used at least one type of personal protective equipment (PPE) during potential radiation exposure. Multivariate regression analysis indicated tertiary hospitals, departments with standardized radiation protection management, and radiation-related training were independent factors associated with both superior radiation-related knowledge and better radiation protection compliance. Higher knowledge scores (OR = 2.366, p < 0.001) and physicians (OR = 4.845, p = 0.001) were independently associated with better radiation protection compliance. This study demonstrated that radiation relative knowledge and protection compliance need to be strengthened among physicians and operating room nurses. Standardized training and radiation protection management should be adopted according to specific needs of different hospitals and staff. These results offer meaningful evidences for the optimization of occupational radiation protection management and policy-making.