Adherence to the practice of radiation protection in the medical radiology departments of the health districts of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

The discovery of X-rays in 1895 revolutionized medicine and gave birth to radiology. This discovery has made it possible to improve the diagnosis of pathologies and even to treat some of them. But if the use of these X-rays is not well controlled, it can cause damage to both the patient and the worker and even to the environment. Radiation protection measures have been developed to protect humans and their environment from the harmful effects of X-rays. But is this radiation protection respected in our health facilities? This work aims to evaluate the practice of radiation protection in the medical radiology departments of the health districts of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. To do this, a biphasic survey was carried out. Direct observation followed by an interview with people working under X-rays and a questionnaire administered to the managers of structures involved in radiation protection. This allowed us to compare the practice of radiation protection in relation to the standards in force through an analytical cross-sectional study. Thus, there is a lack of personal protective equipment, only 6.25% of leaded gonad covers. Low use of portable dosimeters 9.37%. These results are due to incompleteness and a lack of knowledge of the texts, and a lack of rigor in the controls. In short, the practice of radiation protection is in the embryonic stage. It is therefore urgent to increase training and strengthen hospitals with radiation protection equipment to protect themselves against X-rays in the districts of Ouagadougou. Key words: Equipment, radiation protection, X-rays, workers.