Occupational Exposure in the Working Process of Radiological Nursing in Nuclear Medicine

The objective of this study was to identify occupational exposure in the work process of nursing professionals, with radiopharmaceuticals marked with 68 Ga in a nuclear medicine service in municipality in the south of Brazil. Nursing professionals who work exclusively in the positron emission tomography/computed tomography participated in the study. The professionals were identified with the pseudonyms alpha and beta. Data collection took place through observation and prescribed documents in national and international regulatory standards, which were defined in four consecutive moments: observation of professionals during the procedure with the radionuclide 68 Ga, application of scripts related to the observed process, occupational dosimetry, and verification of the dose rate in the period from May to August 2019. Exposure increased by 20% with noted decreases in distance between the sources and radiosensitive structures (i.e., the eye lens and thyroid gland), increased exposure time, and improper use of available shielding. After evaluating the routine of nursing professionals and considering the high-energy parameters of 68 Ga, time, distance, shielding, and the high dose rate, it is suggested that the work process should be reevaluated and standardized, paying attention to critical points, as well as not having only the dosimetric reading as an evaluation parameter.