Application of a risk matrix using the IAEA-TECDOC-1685 methodology in a computed tomography room at a hospital center in Managua, Nicaragua during the year 2022.

Abstract

This study aims to conduct a radiological safety assessment of axial and helical computed tomography (CT) scans at Hospital X in Managua, Nicaragua, to identify initiating events by applying a risk matrix using the IAEA-TECDOC-1685 methodology in the CT scan room of a hospital in Managua, Nicaragua, during 2022. The increase in installed capacity for radiodiagnostics in the public and private sectors necessitates ensuring the safety of facilities and occupationally exposed personnel (OEP), including attending physicians, resident physicians who treat patients, and technicians who operate X-ray generating equipment, particularly the CT scanner. Furthermore, the safety of personnel in surrounding areas and patients receiving routine care, whether by appointment or emergency, must also be guaranteed. The resulting risk level (R) is obtained using the logical combination of the different levels of the independent variables thus defined, that is, the frequency of the initiating event (F), the probability of failure of the planned defenses (P) and the severity of the consequences (C) that characterizes a given accident sequence. The safety and knowledge assessment of the tomography area and TOEs allowed the identification of 16 possible initiating events, of which 9 are within the acceptable and widely acceptable region, which is a negligible risk, while 7 are in the unacceptable region, which requires taking action to reduce these risks.