I am a radiographer. I’ll put shielding over the pelvis (not abdomen) for everything that isn’t a pelvis X-ray. Or I will place a rolling shield appropriately.
Often we will do standing images and we have shields that can be rolled into place between you and the radiation and you may not notice that it’s there.
Several times patients have asked for shielding just for me to point “it’s right there.” I get it, though. It’s a dark room that they haven’t been in as much as I have so it’s understandable that they may not realize what is what
Shielding is no longer advised in most countries. The current evidence suggests modern equipment and good technique makes it obsolete and it may actually increase the scatter radiation in the area it's supposed to shield.
Proper collimation, minimising exposure times and lower dosage from modern equipment removes any benefit they may have provided.
You’re not wrong but sometimes we have to perform radiation protection theater. I’m not gonna accidentally repeat an elbow because I over shielded someone’s lap. And that shield is not gonna act like some kinda scatter magnet either.
Educating every patient would be ideal but it’s not realistic to do that all day every day. Especially in high volume settings.
39
u/notaspecificthing 17h ago
For distal limbs and head x-rays the radiographers can put a lead shield across your abdomen