Potential Issues in a Nuclear Medicine Facility

1. Patients Involved

Procedure and Involvement What Can Go Wrong?
Request and scheduling Wrong patient scheduled
Identification at arrival Wrong patient identified
Information Missed pregnancy or breast-feeding
Administration of radiopharmaceutical Misadministration (wrong patient, wrong activity, wrong radiopharmaceutical)
Waiting Contamination of waiting area (vomiting, incontinence)
Examination Inconclusive due to contamination, equipment and/or software failure

2. Workers Involved

Procedure and Involvement What Can Go Wrong?
Ordering of sources Unauthorized ordering
Receipt and unpacking of shipments Damage to package, contamination
Storage of sources Unshielded sources, high dose rates, loss of sources
Preparation and administration of radiopharmaceutical High doses recorded, contamination of workers and facilities
Handling of radioactive waste Contamination of workers and facilities

3. General Public Involved

Procedure and Involvement What Can Go Wrong?
Storage of sources Loss of sources
Handling of sources Contamination of facility
Radioactive waste Loss of sources, contamination of facilities
Radioactive patient Escape of hospitalized patient, medical emergency, death of patient