In the two years since its launch, more than 2500 health professionals have learned about safety and quality in radiotherapy by taking an IAEA online course in English. This month, the IAEA released a Spanish version of the course to enable more professionals to access the material.
“Radiotherapy helps treat cancer by using ionizing radiation to destroy cancer cells and limit their growth,” said Debbie Gilley, IAEA Radiation Protection Specialist. “However, radiotherapy also exposes patients to radiation and health professionals have to ensure overall radiological protection of patients in order to avoid accidents and near misses. This course provides continuing education to radiotherapy professionals regarding safety and quality in radiotherapy.”
The five-hour course comprises 12 modules that aim to help participants improve their understanding of safety and quality. It highlights techniques that can reduce and avoid incidents in radiotherapy and the value and use of incident learning systems. It also emphasizes safety culture and tools that can enhance safety in radiotherapy. Participants that pass the final examination can receive a certificate of completion.
The course forms part of the IAEA´s work to strengthen radiation protection in medical radiation practices. Together with two other online courses – one on radiation protection in radiography, and one on radiation dose management in CT – it has attracted more than 7500 participants. In addition, more than 5000 health professionals have taken part in IAEA webinars on radiation protection in medical practices.
The Spanish translation of the course was supported by the IAEA technical cooperation programme through a project (RLA9085) that aims to strengthen medical and occupational radiation protection across the Latin America and the Caribbean.
Course participants must register by following the instructions available here.
