Factors affecting Korean nurses' compliance with radiation safety procedures: The Korea nurses' health study

37^th Asia-Pacific Nursing and Medicare Summit

OCTOBER 20-21, 2017 OSAKA, JAPAN

Heeja Jung, Oksoo Kim, Hee Jung Jang, Hyangkyu Lee, Younhee Kang, Mi Sun Kim and Yanghee Pang

Ewha Womans University, Republic of Korea
Hallym University, Republic of Korea
Yonsei University, Republic of Korea
Jeju National University, Republic of Korea

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Adv Practice Nurs

Abstract :

The risk of radiation exposure to nurses has been escalating from the increasing number of various radiation-based interventional procedures and the use of diagnostic radiation equipment. Although the adverse effects of radiation and the important compliance with radiation safety procedures have been well documented to date, only a few studies have been conducted on nurses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of compliance and the influential factors of radiation safety procedures for hospital nurses in South Korea. The study participants were 560 female hospital nurses who were engaged in radiation related to work over the last month and who have been working in places of high risk of exposures including operating room, endoscopy inspection room, nuclear medicine etc. Data were taken from the Korean Nurses� Health Study. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, Spearman�s correlation coefficients and multivariate ordinal logistic regression. Of six guidelines on compliance with radiation safety procedures 42.1%, 27.3% and 18.9% of nurses responded-always keep the safety procedures for more than three, two and one question, respectively. Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that hospital safety climate (OR=1.033, CI=1.020-1.047) and years of experience in current department (11 years-under 20 years, OR=0.473, CI=0.290-0.772; over 20 years, OR=0.293 CI=0.168-0.511) were identified as affecting factors in compliance with safety procedures. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the safety environment of the hospitals and enhance the compliance of the hospital nurse's radiation safety procedures in long-term radiation related services. Low levels of nurses' compliance of the radiation safety procedures raise concerns regarding nurses' well-being and quality of patients care. Healthcare managers should emphasize the hospital safety climate and safety education for nurses working long in one department.

Biography :

Heeja Jung is a Researcher at the Nursing Policy Research Institute, Korean Nurses Association. She is interested in the health and working environment of nurses, especially the effect of occupational exposure and shift work of nurses. She has published relevant research papers and is currently participating in the Korea Nurses’ Health Study (KNHS), a large scale prospective cohort study.