Streamlining Nuclear Medicine Department Contamination Response
G.M. Sturchio and T.B. Valley (Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota)
A nuclear medicine department uses a variety of radionuclides for a variety of diagnostic and therapy procedures, in a variety of rooms within a health care facility building. Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Safety developed a radiation contamination response flowchart to address the allied health staff informational needs. The flowchart provides concise event-specific (e.g., personnel, item, or area contamination) guidance at the point of use in a standardized, easy-to-read format. The information conveyed in the flowchart includes the process and decision flow, the radiation level action levels, and the removable contamination action levels. The technical basis for the action levels is presented.