Nuclear Medicine & Radiation Therapy

Educational Tool Proposals for Perception and Minimization of Occupational Hazards to Protect Health Professionals, the Community and Users of Radiation Therapy and Nuclear Medicine

Abstract

Franco Andrés del Pozo, Marcos Dantas Moraes Freire, Pollyanna Silva e Silva and Songelí Menezes Freire

Nuclear medicine and radiation therapy offer diagnostic and therapy services. These fields have grown in recent years by expanding coverage for the increasingly earlier treatment of serious diseases. In healthcare institutions, because of the risks, managers must provide continuing education at different levels in bioethics and biosafety according to their radioprotection program, and they must manage the legal exigencies concerning the health followup of the team members and patients. Health professionals work in these environments treating patients with different procedures and radionuclide schemes. The undesirable biological effects, such as stochastic and/or deterministic effects of ionizing radiation, may affect people's quality of life. The morbidity can vary from common problems, such as inflammation, to major unseen problems, such as mutations, with different risks of disease severity. Ultimately, death may occur after large accidental exposures. Managers need to consider psychological problems, side effects and iatrogenic diseases in patients and occupational diseases and accidents that can vary from small to large scale. Nuclear medicine and radiation therapy professionals need special education and training courses. The educational tools that are proposed here were based on Brazilian legislation for radiotherapy and knowledge of quality control, biosafety and bioethics. Good management and minimization of risk are necessary, and a high level of comprehension is required for the health professional staff member responsible for the health of individuals and an environment that guarantees success in both radiation therapy and nuclear medicine services. Some tools can be used to train professionals to minimize occupational risks and risks that threaten patient health. Checklists were prepared on a few topics concerning issues and recommendations regarding the containment of radionuclides and avoiding contact with reagents, waste and patient secretions and exposure during and after patient care.