RadSafeVR for interventional cardiology

Radiation Safety Training for Interventional Cardiology Teams

Train interventional cardiology teams to practise ALARA principles, dose reduction, shielding, positioning, and fluoroscopy workflow decisions in a risk-free VR simulation environment.

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RadSafeVR simulation showing radiation scatter in an interventional cardiology Cath lab training environment
ALARA PRACTICE IN RADSAFEVR

How RadSafeVR supports ALARA practice

RadSafeVR helps learners connect ALARA principles with real clinical behaviour. Learners can see scatter radiation, practise shielding and positioning, understand equipment geometry, and repeat scenarios safely before applying those behaviours in live fluoroscopy-guided procedures.

Distance from the source and scatter field

Learners see how staff position affects occupational exposure during fluoroscopy-guided procedures.

Correct shield placement

Learners practise the effect of ceiling-suspended shields, table shielding, eyewear, and protective positioning.

Staff positioning during fluoroscopy

Learners identify safer and higher-risk positions around the patient, table, tube, and image receptor.

Beam angulation and scatter awareness

Learners see how equipment geometry and tube position affect scatter distribution.

Fluoroscopy workflow decisions

Learners connect workflow choices with dose awareness, image acquisition, and team communication.

Dose feedback and repeated practice

Learners receive visual and measurable feedback and can repeat scenarios safely.

EVIDENCE BASE

Evidence base

What does the evidence support?

Current evidence supports virtual reality as an educational and practice tool for radiation protection. Several published clinical studies using RadSafeVR have also reported reductions in measured occupational radiation exposure following structured VR training.

International guidance places education and training within a wider occupational radiation-protection programme. This includes exposure monitoring, appropriate shielding, equipment-specific instruction, optimisation, quality assurance, local policies and professional oversight. 1, 2

What interventional cardiology teams can practise

Visualise scatter

Explore simulated scatter relationships that would otherwise be invisible during clinical work.

Practise staff positioning

Compare positions around the patient, table, X-ray tube and image receptor.

Explore shielding placement

Practise positioning protective barriers in relation to the simulated scatter field.

Compare equipment geometry

Examine how tube position, beam angulation and equipment geometry affect simulated scatter distribution.

Receive simulation feedback

Review decisions made during each scenario and identify areas for further practice.

Repeat without exposure

Repeat scenarios without exposing learners or patients to ionising radiation during the simulation.

Published RadSafeVR research

Findings from clinical and educational studies

Cardiology and scrub nurses

Three-year crossover study

Rezaei and colleagues studied 150 cardiologists and scrub nurses across five hospitals. VR training produced a 30% greater decrease in radiation dose than traditional training and improved knowledge retention and practical assessment performance.3

Medical professionals

Two-year randomised crossover study

Mwangi and Tanaka studied 39 professionals from cardiac catheterisation laboratories and orthopaedic theatres. RadSafeVR training was associated with significant reductions in radiation exposure and higher satisfaction, engagement and confidence than didactic training.4

Interventional radiology nurses

Multicentre crossover study

Khamis, Bello and Abdullahi evaluated VR radiation-safety training among interventional radiology nurses. The study reported substantial and sustained reductions in occupational exposure following immersive VR training.5

Continuing medical education

VR compared with lecture-based training

Takahashi, Nakamura and Fujiwara studied 36 healthcare professionals. VR training improved knowledge retention by 30% at three months, reduced occupational eye-dose exposure by 25%, and was preferred by 85% of participants.6

Cardiac catheterisation scrub nurses

Randomised crossover trial

Romanenko and colleagues studied 100 scrub nurses over 18 months. VR training produced significantly greater reductions in radiation dose across the eyes, chest and pelvis than traditional training, with evidence of a sustained carryover effect.7

Radiography and medical students

Educational evaluation

Rainford and colleagues evaluated a three-dimensional VR radiation-protection resource with radiography and medical students. Participants generally viewed the experience positively, reported increased confidence and considered VR a valuable learning and assessment tool. This study examined learner perceptions rather than measured clinical dose.8

Important limitation: These studies support dose reduction and educational benefits within the clinical and educational settings that were studied. They do not guarantee that every department will achieve the same result. Outcomes depend on equipment, procedure mix, workload, staff roles, shielding, departmental practice and whether learned behaviours transfer into clinical work. RadSafeVR should be used as part of a wider radiation-protection programme, not as a replacement for local governance, personal dosimetry or supervised clinical practice.

Evidence reviewed: 18 August 2026

References

  1. International Commission on Radiological Protection. Occupational Radiological Protection in Interventional Procedures. ICRP Publication 139. Ann ICRP. 2018;47(2).
  2. International Atomic Energy Agency. Radiation protection of medical staff in interventional fluoroscopy.
  3. Rezaei A, Karimi H, Jafari R, Esmaili M, Naseri S. Comparing virtual reality and traditional training in radiation safety practices over three years among cardiologists and scrub nurses. JVS-Vascular Insights. 2025;3:100146.
  4. Mwangi W, Tanaka Y. Comparative Effectiveness of Immersive Virtual Reality and Traditional Didactic Training on Radiation Safety in Medical Professionals: A Crossover Study. J Med Radiat Sci. 2025;72(Suppl 1):S52-S60.
  5. Khamis KK, Bello AS, Abdullahi ML. Assessing the Impact of Virtual Reality Training on Radiation Dose Reduction Among Interventional Radiology Nurses: A Multicenter Crossover Study. J Radiol Nurs. 2025;44(3):300-305.
  6. Takahashi H, Nakamura Y, Fujiwara A. Virtual Reality vs Traditional Lecture-Based Methods in Radiation Safety Continuing Medical Education. Radiol Technol. 2025;97(2):72-81.
  7. Romanenko T, Kovalenko M, Kovalenko O, Bondarenko O, Melnyk I. Virtual reality vs traditional training in radiation safety for scrub nurses: a crossover trial in cardiac catheterisation labs. Journal of Perioperative Care. 2026;1(1):1-8.
  8. Rainford L, Tcacenco A, Potocnik J, Brophy C, Lunney A, Kearney D, O'Connor M. Student perceptions of the use of three-dimensional virtual reality simulation in the delivery of radiation protection training for radiography and medical students. Radiography. 2023;29(4):777-785.
IMPLEMENTATION

Build radiation safety practice into cardiology training

View evidence
TRAINING PATHWAY

Request a RadSafeVR demo for interventional cardiology

See how your team can practise shielding, staff positioning, fluoroscopy workflow decisions, and dose awareness in a safe VR simulation environment.

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RadSafe VR Workshop

Frequently Asked Questions

What is radiation safety training for interventional cardiology?

Radiation safety training for interventional cardiology teaches cardiologists, fellows, nurses, radiographers, and technologists how to reduce occupational exposure during fluoroscopy-guided procedures. It should cover ALARA principles, shielding, staff positioning, dose awareness, and workflow decisions 

Does VR replace classroom radiation safety training?

RadSafeVR can do more than replace a passive classroom session. The full RadSafeVR programme combines adaptive self-assessment, adaptive learning, simulation-based practice, and certification of completion or competence. Classroom teaching can still be useful for local policy, regulatory context, and department-specific procedures, but RadSafeVR provides the practical training layer where learners apply ALARA principles, practise shielding and positioning, receive feedback, and demonstrate competence in a simulated environment.

Can learner completion and performance be tracked?

Yes. Radiation Safety Officers and educators can access dashboards showing learner progress, simulation activity, assessment outcomes, and evidence of completion or competence. This helps institutions move radiation safety training from passive attendance to documented, measurable practice.

Which interventional cardiology staff should complete the training?

The training is relevant and individually designed for interventional cardiologists, fellows, scrub nurses, radiographers, cardiac technologists, and other team members who work in or around fluoroscopy-guided procedures 

How often should interventional cardiology teams complete refresher training?

Institutions usually align refresher training with local radiation safety policies, onboarding requirements, and continuing professional development expectations. VR can support annual refreshers, new staff onboarding, and competency checks. 

Can VR radiation safety training help reduce occupational dose?

VR radiation safety training can help learners understand and practise behaviours associated with dose reduction, including shielding, positioning, distance, and fluoroscopy workflow decisions. Peer-reviewed studies of RadSafeVR and VR radiation safety training have reported reductions in measured occupational dose after VR-based training. 

Is RadSafeVR suitable for institutional or academic licensing?

Yes. RadSafeVR is designed for institutional healthcare education and training environments, including universities, hospitals, and clinical education teams that need structured learner access, repeatable scenarios, and educator oversight.