Radiation Safety Simulation Software
RadSafe allows healthcare professionals and students to explore radiation scatter, occupational dose, positioning and shielding within realistic interventional environments.
See Radiation Behaviour, Not Just the Rules
See how scattered radiation changes around the patient and X-ray system as the procedure changes.
Explore how distance and position relative to the patient and X-ray tube affect occupational exposure.
Reposition protective shielding and observe how placement changes the radiation environment.
Adjust equipment geometry, exposure settings and patient characteristics to compare different radiation conditions.
How RadSafe Models Equipment and Radiation Behaviour
RadSafe is modelled on the Siemens Healthineers ARTIS icono interventional imaging system and reproduces much of the movement, positioning and geometry of the physical equipment.
Learners can change C-arm angulation, tube position, exposure settings, patient characteristics, staff position and shielding, then observe how those changes affect the simulated radiation environment.
This allows users to explore the relationship between equipment geometry, scatter radiation and occupational dose within a realistic interventional setting.
-1.jpg "RadSafe VR interventional radiology simulation showing C-arm equipment and radiation safety training environment")
The radiation output used within RadSafe was calibrated in New Zealand with the involvement of a medical physicist.
This provides the physical basis for how the simulation responds when users change equipment geometry, exposure settings, patient characteristics, staff position and shielding.
Virtual Medical Coaching is continuing to strengthen the technical evidence supporting RadSafe through external scientific review and benchmarking.
The current focus is on comparing simulated scatter distributions and occupational dose estimates with physical measurements under defined interventional radiology conditions.
• Compare simulated and measured scatter distributions
• Assess occupational dose at defined locations
• Test representative C-arm, shielding and positioning configurations
Radiation Safety Training for the Whole Clinical Team
Radiographers and medical imaging technologists can practise positioning, equipment setup and radiation protection decisions within realistic interventional environments.
Interventional radiologists, cardiologists, and other fluoroscopy users can explore how equipment geometry, positioning, and procedural choices influence occupational exposure.
Scrub nurses, circulating nurses, anaesthetic staff and theatre teams can practise shielding, positioning and radiation safety decisions from the roles they perform during procedures.
Students can develop practical radiation protection skills before entering clinical environments and repeat scenarios without exposing patients, staff or themselves to ionising radiation.
From Radiation Protection Principles to Practical Decisions
Apply optimisation principles within changing clinical scenarios and observe how decisions affect occupational exposure.
Explore where to stand and how changes in distance, staff position and equipment geometry influence exposure.
Compare shielding positions and configurations to understand how placement changes the radiation environment.
See the consequences of radiation protection decisions as they are made, then adjust the scenario and try again.
Radiation Safety Simulation FAQs
What is radiation safety training?
Radiation safety training teaches healthcare professionals and students how to protect patients, staff and themselves from unnecessary ionising radiation exposure. It covers exposure optimisation, equipment setup, positioning, distance, shielding and safe working practices during medical imaging and image-guided procedures.
What is radiation safety in healthcare?
Radiation safety in healthcare involves managing and minimising radiation exposure to patients and staff through safe positioning, appropriate use of shielding, optimisation of exposure parameters, and an understanding of how radiation behaves in clinical environments. It includes the ALARA principle (As Low As Reasonably Achievable), but extends beyond it to encompass practical decision-making, workflow, and real-time awareness of radiation exposure during procedures.
Who uses radiation safety simulation software?
Radiation safety simulation software can be used by radiographers, medical imaging technologists, interventional radiologists, cardiologists, surgeons, nurses, anaesthetic staff, medical physicists, educators and students. It allows individuals and multidisciplinary teams to practise radiation protection decisions without exposing patients, colleagues or learners to ionising radiation.
How does radiation safety simulation improve training?
Radiation safety simulation allows users to visualise radiation exposure, practise shielding, and understand how positioning and technique affect dose in a safe, controlled environment. The platform provides live dose feedback as variables change, including frame rate, dose level, tube position, patient body mass, and shielding placement, helping users understand the real-time impact of their decisions on radiation exposure.
Evidence Supporting Radiation Safety Simulation
Radiation safety simulation using the Virtual Medical Coaching platform is supported by multiple peer-reviewed studies demonstrating improved learner engagement, increased confidence, and measurable improvements in understanding radiation exposure, shielding, and safe clinical practice.
These studies show that immersive simulation can improve both knowledge retention and practical decision-making in radiation safety training.
Explore the research behind our radiation safety simulation
An Estimated 3.6 Billion Diagnostic Medical Examinations Are Performed Every Year
Worldwide, an estimated 3.6 billion diagnostic medical examinations, such as X-rays, are performed every year. This number continues to grow as more people access medical care. About 350 million of these examinations are performed on children under 15 years of age.
Healthcare professionals working around fluoroscopically guided procedures may receive occupational exposure to ionising radiation. Effective training helps clinical teams understand how equipment geometry, exposure settings, distance, positioning and shielding influence that exposure.
RadSafe allows learners to explore these factors safely in realistic interventional environments. They can change the procedure, reposition staff and shielding, and immediately observe how their decisions affect scatter and occupational dose.
Source: World Health Organization, “Improving radiation safety”.