Beliefs and behaviours of radiographers and other health professionals concerning radiation protection safety in a high-volume Greek public hospital. Development of a new measuring instrument.

INTRODUCTION: The use of fluoroscopy-assisted surgical procedures has been increasing recently. The extensive use of fluoroscopy, combined with the lack of knowledge about radiation risks among operating room (OR) personnel (surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, and radiographers), may lead to misconceptions. The perceptions and beliefs of any health professional concerning radiation protection safety (RPS) may affect their behaviour during surgery, leading to negative outcomes. The aim of this study was to construct a new, original, reliable, and valid instrument to record the beliefs, perceptions, and behaviours of health professionals during surgery, which reflects the established culture of RPS. METHODS: A questionnaire was designed, consisting of 95 questions grouped into six coherent sections. The study was performed at a Greek public hospital with a high workload in terms of fluoroscopically guided surgical operations. RESULTS: It was distributed among 136 people, and 132 completed questionnaires were collected (response rate 97%). Exploratory factor analysis was performed separately for each scale studied and Cronbach's Alpha reliability analysis was also performed. The reliability of the greater part of the new measurement tool ranged from very good to acceptable. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire developed in this study is a valid and reliable option for recording health professionals' perceptions, beliefs, and behaviours concerning the RPS culture. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study helps clinical radiographers to understand a possible knowledge gap about RPS and locates the specific fields that the OR personnel misunderstand. It also can support and establish local learning organisations with regular targeted staff training for health professionals, thereby leading to a generally improved RPS culture.

Synthesis and characterization of hydrolytically degradable copolyester biomaterials based on glycolic acid, sebacic acid and ethylene glycol.

Copolyesters of glycolic acid (G) combined with sebacic acid (S) and ethylene glycol were synthesized in different molar ratios (G: 0-100% and S: 100-0%) and their hydrolytic degradation was studied and correlated with their structures. Based on the FTIR spectra of the homopolyesters and copolyesters and the normalized peak intensity of the I(2918), I(2848) and I(1087) for the corresponding wavenumbers, it is concluded that the I(2918) and the I(2848) are in accordance with the mean number degree of polymerization of ethylene sebacate units and the I(1087) is in accordance with the mean number degree of polymerization of glycolate units. Based on the XRD diffractograms, poly(ethylene sebacate) and poly(glycolic acid) belong to the monoclinic and the orthorhombic crystal system, respectively and both have higher crystallinity than the copolyesters. The experimental data of the hydrolytic degradation were fitted with exponential rise to maximum type functions using two-parameter model and four-parameter model. Three regions can been distinguished for the hydrolytic degradation by decreasing the molar feed ratio of sebacic acid, which are correlated with the changes of crystallinity. Two copolyesters are proposed: first the copolyester with high amount of glycolate units (S10G90) having higher hydrolytic degradation than G100 and second the copolyester with equal amount of glycolate and ethylene sebacate units (S50G50), having lower hydrolytic degradation than G100. These hydrolytically degradable copolyesters are soluble in common organic solvents, opposite to poly(glycolic acid) and could have perspectives for biomedical applications.

Correlation of hydrolytic degradation with structure for copolyesters produced from glycolic and adipic acids.

Copolyesters based on glycolic acid (G) combined with adipic acid (A) and ethylene glycol (E) were synthesized in different percentage of molar ratios (A: 100-50% and G: 100%) and their hydrolytic degradation was studied and correlated with their structures. According to the DSC, the production of polyesters leads to the formation of copolyesters and not to mixtures of homopolyesters. The crystallites in the copolyesters mainly consist of continuous sequences of ethylene adipate structural units. The hydrolytic degradation of the polyesters was followed by their weight loss during hydrolysis and by the FTIR spectra of the initial polyesters compared with that of the degraded polyesters at equilibrium. The region between 1142 and 800 cm(-1) can be utilized to evaluate the extent of degradation of polyesters after their hydrolysis. The absorption bands at 1142, 1077 and 850 cm(-1) due to the amorphous region decrease after hydrolysis, whereas those at 972, 901 and 806 cm(-1) due to the crystalline region increase. The experimental data of the hydrolytic degradation were fitted with exponential rise to maximum type functions using two-parameter model, which describes very well mainly the initial part of the degradation, and four-parameter model (containing two exponential terms), which is appropriate for fitting the hydrolytic degradation on the entire time period (including the equilibrium). Furthermore, the kinetics of the hydrolytic degradation of the polyesters for the initial time period based on both models results to similar values of the rate constant, k. The synthesized copolyesters of glycolic acid combined with adipic acid and ethylene glycol are soluble in many common organic solvents opposite to PGA, leading to modified biodegradable polyesters and therefore they can be easily processed.