Concerns about exposure to radiation and its effects on health are often seen as a constraint, especially among women of childbearing age and pregnant women who are forced to leave their jobs exposing to radiation.

Evaluate in a Tunisian group of female doctors and nurses working in the cardiac catheterization unit their knowledge on radiation exposure and the perception of the radiological risk on pregnancy and the impact on pregnancy on the professionnal career.

This was a descriptive, multicenter study carried out at the cardiology departments of 4 hospitals in Tunisia, which involved the female workers exposed to X-ray the cardiac catheterization unit. We used a questionnaire referring to data from the literature.

The study population consisted of 30 female workers representing 56.5% of the staff working in the cardiac catheterization unit. The mean age was 39±6 years. This study showed that the level of knowledge about radiation protection in the institution was overall good. We didn’t find any significant difference in the level of knowledge either by grade or by seniority of work in the cardiac catheterization unit. The main fear reported by workers was the risk of infertility in 23/30 of cases. Twenty five workers/30 of female respondents consider that a pregnant woman should stop working in the cardiac catheterization unit. Risks of radiation to the foetus reported were malformations in 25 workers/30 and the risk of abortion in 14/30. A total of 10 women workers/30 reported that pregnancy or pregnancy projects have affected their professional career.

In summary, female workers in interventional cardiology are not adequately trained in radioprotection. This lack of knowledge about radiological risk can affect the evolution of professional careers. Radioprotection training and awareness deserves to be reinforced by focusing on these shortcomings and involving more participants to collaborate in radioprotection.