Protection of Patients and the Environment Through Optimization of Radiological Safety in Kinshasa Hospitals in the DRC: Proposals for Pedagogical and Didactic Remediation in the Learning Process at Higher and University Levels for the Optimization and Sustainability of Radiation Protection

The purpose of this research was to propose pedagogical and didactic strategies for teaching radiation protection at higher education and university levels, with the aim of optimizing radiological safety in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This was done after evaluating the implementation of protective measures against the harmful effects of X-rays in conventional radiology in Kinshasa hospitals. To achieve this, we conducted a survey in 23 Kinshasa hospitals with a sample of 400 health professionals, including 100 radiologists, to assess the level of implementation of radiation protection principles in order to propose pedagogical and didactic remediation in initial training where necessary. In addition to interviewing the respondents, we collected radiophysical parameters to evaluate the degree of irradiation in pediatric and adult radiology services in Kinshasa hospitals. After analyzing the data, the following results were recorded: the surveyed health personnel reported that more than 40% of requested radiology examinations are not justified. Eleven services were found to be highly irradiating in pediatrics (48%) and two radiology services in adults (9%). Finally, all surveyed radiologist health personnel in Kinshasa do not know how to evaluate the degree of irradiation in their services. In light of these results, we proposed pedagogical and didactic remediation in radiation protection teaching during initial training to enable future health professionals to demonstrate competencies for optimizing radiological safety.