Technical report, Nordic Working Group on Medical Applications
Summary
The purpose of this document is to describe the considerations necessary for hospitals and national regulatory authorities in the Nordic countries, in order to establish and evaluate the criteria for release of patients after radionuclide therapy.
The release of patients should be based on a safety assessment where the exposure to members of the public and persons in close contact with the patient is evaluated. Exposure scenarios should, among other things, consider the patient’s individual domestic situation, working life and possibilities for handling of radioactive waste. The workers at the nuclear medicine department are expected to receive training for occupational protection and their occupational exposures to be under surveillance. Therefore, occupational protection is out of the scope of this document. The document takes into account the different regulatory approaches and practices in the Nordic countries regarding the groups carers and comforters versus members of the public. The concept of dose constraints is widely incorporated by the national regulatory authorities and is considered a useful tool for assessing doses to relevant persons.