Dose rates in nuclear medicine and the effectiveness of lead aprons

Young, Andy

doi:10.1097/mnm.0b013e32835c91d5

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…MRWs who participate in nuclear medicine procedures deal with radioactive nuclides which produce higher energies compared to other radiography procedures. In the early years, it was recommended that RPGs be used especially when dealing with technetium-99m radiopharmaceuticals but not for iodine-131 radiopharmaceuticals [30, 31, 32]. This study finding indicates conflicting practices among the MRWs especially among those handling iodine-131, suggesting a lack of understanding of the standard practices and guidelines.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions on radioprotective garment usage and underlying reasons for non-adherence among medical radiation workers from public hospitals in a middle-income Asian setting: A qualitative exploration

Ridzwan

Bhoo-Pathy

Isahak

et al. 2019

Heliyon

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundRadioprotective garments protect medical radiation workers from exposure to radiation at workplace. However, previous studies have found poor adherence to the use of radioprotective garments.ObjectivesWe explored the perceptions and practices related to the use of radioprotective garments among medical radiation workers in public hospitals, and sought to understand the reasons for non-adherence.Design and settingA qualitative approach was applied by conducting face-to-face in-depth interviews with 18 medical radiation workers from three university hospitals using a semi-structured interview guide.ResultsFive themes emerged with respect to perceptions on the use of radioprotective garments: (i) the dilemmas in practising radiation protection, (ii) indication of workers' credibility, (iii) physical appearance of radioprotective garments, (iv) practicality of radioprotective garment use, and (v) impact on workflow. Actual lack of radioprotective garment use was attributed to inadequate number of thyroid shield and other garments, radioprotective garments' unsightly appearance including being dirty and defective, impracticality of using radioprotective garments for some nuclear medicine procedures, disruption of workflow because of workers’ limited movements, attitudes of workers, and organisational influences.ConclusionMedical radiation workers demonstrated a definitive practice of using radioprotective aprons, but often neglected to use thyroid shields and other garments. Availability and hygiene are reported as the core issues, while unclear guidelines on practical use of radioprotective garments appear to lead to confusion among medical radiation workers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first qualitative study of its kind from a middle-income Asian setting.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions on radioprotective garment usage and underlying reasons for non-adherence among medical radiation workers from public hospitals in a middle-income Asian setting: A qualitative exploration

Ridzwan

Bhoo-Pathy

Isahak

et al. 2019

Heliyon

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Prior studies have documented the beneficial role of radiation safety measures and equipment in the reduction of the received dose by the technologists (1,29), stating that the decrease of doses would also reduce the risk associated with IR exposure. However, this hypothesized decreased risk associated with radiation safety measures has not been observed in our study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Work history and radioprotection practices in relation to cancer incidence and mortality in US radiologic technologists performing nuclear medicine procedures

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The decreased use of lead aprons likely results from two factors. First, it may reflect a more widespread awareness of their limited effectiveness with therapy-related radionuclides or higher energy radionuclides, such as PET tracers which emit gamma photons with a 511 keV energy (Fog and Collins 2008; Young 2013). Second, for many technologists, lead aprons are simply too heavy and other radiation safety equipment (e.g., lead syringe shield) too bulky and a hindrance to efficiently complete tasks such as injecting radionuclides.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical Patterns in the Types of Procedures Performed and Radiation Safety Practices Used in Nuclear Medicine From 1945–2009

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We evaluated historical patterns in the types of procedures performed in diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine and the associated radiation safety practices used from 1945–2009 in a sample of U.S. radiologic technologists. In 2013–2014, 4,406 participants from the U.S. Radiologic Technologists (USRT) Study who previously reported working with medical radionuclides completed a detailed survey inquiring about the performance of 23 diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclide procedures and the use of radiation safety practices when performing radionuclide procedure-related tasks during five time periods: 1945–1964, 1965–1979, 1980–1989, 1990–1999, and 2000–2009. We observed an overall increase in the proportion of technologists who performed specific diagnostic or therapeutic procedures across the five time periods. Between 1945–1964 and 2000–2009, the median frequency of diagnostic procedures performed substantially increased (5 per week to 30 per week), attributable mainly to an increasing frequency of cardiac and non-brain PET scans, while the median frequency of therapeutic procedures performed modestly decreased (from 4 per month to 3 per month). We also observed a notable increase in the use of most radiation safety practices from 1945–1964 to 2000–2009 (e.g., use of lead-shielded vials during diagnostic radiopharmaceutical preparation increased from 56 to 96%), although lead apron use dramatically decreased (e.g., during diagnostic imaging procedures, from 81 to 7%). These data describe historical practices in nuclear medicine and can be used to support studies of health risks in nuclear medicine technologists.

show abstract

Dose rates in nuclear medicine and the effectiveness of lead aprons

Cited by 16 publications

References 10 publications

Perceptions on radioprotective garment usage and underlying reasons for non-adherence among medical radiation workers from public hospitals in a middle-income Asian setting: A qualitative exploration

Perceptions on radioprotective garment usage and underlying reasons for non-adherence among medical radiation workers from public hospitals in a middle-income Asian setting: A qualitative exploration

Work history and radioprotection practices in relation to cancer incidence and mortality in US radiologic technologists performing nuclear medicine procedures

Historical Patterns in the Types of Procedures Performed and Radiation Safety Practices Used in Nuclear Medicine From 1945–2009

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About