Program Information
Dollars and Sense: Are We Overshielding Imaging Facilities
R Marsh1*, B Murray2*, (1) University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, (2) Ohio Medical Physics Consulting, LLC, Dublin, OH
Presentations
SU-C-BRA-0 (Sunday, March 6, 2016) 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Room: Grand Ballroom A
Diagnostic imaging and nuclear medicine play a vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. While an individual patient clearly receives a direct benefit from direct exposure to medical radiation, clinical medical physicists are often tasked with shielding employees and the public from this same radiation.
Determination of shielding requirements for diagnostic imaging and nuclear medicine facilities is predominantly guided by NCRP Report 147 and AAPM Report 108. These documents have been instrumental in standardizing the way in which shielding design is performed. In the decade since their publication, however, the basis for the reports' recommendations have been forgotten, and shielding is often approached as a methodical process rather than a careful analysis of risks and benefits.
Shielding design is a balance of competing factors - radiation exposure to staff and the public, clinical workflow, and building costs. This session will provide a critical evaluation of current shielding practices, including a review of the basis for the recommendations made by NCRP and AAPM, and a cost-benefit analysis of current methodology. The speakers will address shielding for diagnostic imaging and nuclear medicine facilities.
Learning Objectives:
1.Understand the assumptions made by NCRP Report 147 and AAPM Report 108 in establishing shielding guidance.
2.Understand the monetary cost associated with shielding diagnostic imaging and nuclear medicine facilities.
3.Understand the benefits provided to employees and the public from shielding diagnostic imaging and nuclear medicine facilities.
Funding Support, Disclosures, and Conflict of Interest: Bryon Murray, MS, DABR is a paid consultant for shielding calculations by NELCO.
Handouts
- 113-31173-379492-117928-1979343130.pdf (R Marsh)
- 113-31174-379492-117929-555266297.pdf (B Murray)
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