There’s no debating the benefits on  when it comes to healthcare. This impressive technology helps medical practitioners from diagnosing bone fractures all the way to the diagnosis and treatment of certain life-threatening cancers. The issue is that if it’s not used properly, the radiation used can cause considerable harm to the patients and technicians. The portal created by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding the use of ionizing radiation and protecting patients was first launched in 2006 and overhauled in 2017, but only in English. During this time, website statistics showed considerable traffic, in the amounts of hundreds of thousands of people per year looking into the information regarding patient care and safety when radiation is involved.Among those visitors, the largest proportion of them were from Central and South America. This change in diversity when it came to site visitors inspired the IAEA to create a portal in Spanish to reach more people interested in the information in their native language and therefore potentially helping and protecting more patients.The agency understood that it needed to get closer and more intimate with their end-users and get them not only accurate and credible information, but something in their native language that’s easily understood.

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Ionizing radiation has multiple uses but the most frequent use, globally, is for medical diagnosis and treatment. By providing the information to more people, medical professionals specifically, that are using the technology, the IAEA is increasing the patient and professional safety measures that benefit everyone.The Spanish portal is in the same format at the primary English one, providing the same 130-pages of information that’s concise and easy to follow and written by Spanish-speaking medical professionals like healthcare physicists, radiation oncologists, and nuclear medical physicians, all experts in the field.The new portal is already bringing in tens of thousands of visitors per month who can explore the information whether they’re a patient seeking or receiving the treatments mentioned or medical professionals looking for more information and advice.The reach of the IAEA in Spanish-speaking countries is apparent in the U.S. funding of the IAEA in provide cancer treatment programs and research in Mexico. The IAEA takes a central place when it comes to providing support when it comes to radiological treatment needs.The portal can now be easily understood by a broader range of patients and specialists. The agency provides answers to many frequently asked questions for common procedures from x-rays to cancer treatments, and the common preventive mammograms. It even breaks down content into specific patient groups to make the information more patient specific.With the obvious interest in Spanish-speaking countries for this type of medical information, individuals now have access to the hundreds of articles and reference materials like scientific papers. Publications, new webinars, and eLearning pertaining to the technology.Access to both portals is completely free, and IAEA maintains its mandate for supporting the safe and beneficial use of ionizing radiation by updating it regularly with any new information.

Sources:

IAEA Launches Spanish Version of Portal to Help Promote Safe Use of Ionizing Radiation in Health CareU.S. Funding to IAEA Supports Cancer Treatment in Mexico