Effects of Work Shift or Shift Length on Radiation Safety Perception

Purpose This study investigated several determinants of radiation safety culture among radiologic technologists to determine whether factors related to work shifts or workday length affect the perception of workplace radiation safety. Methods The secondary analysis used de-identified data from 425 radiologic technologists collected with the Radiation Actions and Dimensions of Radiation Safety (RADS) questionnaire, a 35-item survey with valid and reliable psychometric properties. Respondents included radiologic technologists working in radiography, computed tomography (CT), mammography, and hospital radiology administration. Descriptive statistics were used to report RADS survey item outcomes, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests with Games-Howell post hoc tests were conducted to analyze the hypotheses. Results Mean differences in perception of teamwork across imaging stakeholders (P,.001) and leadership actions (P 5.001) were found across shift-length groups. In addition, mean differences in perception of teamwork across imaging stakeholders (P 5.007) were found across work-shift groups. Discussion Longer shifts ($ 12 hours) and night shifts are related to a diminished perception of the importance of radiation safety among radiologic technologists. The study showed a significant effect of these shift factors on the perception of teamwork and leadership actions concerning radiation safety. Conclusion These results underscore the importance of leadership actions and messaging, teamwork-building, and inservice training on radiation safety for technologists who frequently work long, after-hours shifts.