Written by practitioners experienced in the field, 'Practical Radiation Protection in Healthcare' provides a practical guide for medical physicists and others involved with radiation protection in the healthcare environment.

A comprehensive, practical guide to radiation protection for medical and health care personnel, covering the relevant applications to radiation therapy, nuclear medicine and diagnostic radiology. Useful to a wide range of readers working with radioisotopies and ionizing radiation, but having different backgrounds, training and needs.

Combining facets of health physics with medicine, An Introduction to Radiation Protection in Medicine covers the background of the subject and the medical situations where radiation is the tool to diagnose or treat human disease. Encouraging newcomers to the field to properly and efficiently function in a versatile and evolving work setting, it familiarizes them with the particular problems faced during the application of ionizing radiation in medicine. The text builds a fundamental knowledge base before providing practical descriptions of radiation safety in medicine. It covers basic issues related to radiation protection, including the physical science behind radiation protection and the radiobiological basis of radiation protection. The text also presents operational and managerial tools for organizing radiation safety in a medical workplace. Subsequent chapters form the core of the book, focusing on the practice of radiation protection in different medical disciplines. They explore a range of individual uses of ionizing radiation in various branches of medicine, including radiology, nuclear medicine, external beam radiotherapy, and brachytherapy. With contributions from experienced practicing physicists, this book provides essential information about dealing with radiation safety in the rapidly shifting and diverse environment of medicine.

Radiation Protection in Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology focuses on the professional, operational, and regulatory aspects of radiation protection. Advances in radiation medicine have resulted in new modalities and procedures, some of which have significant potential to cause serious harm. Examples include radiologic procedures that require ve

This book takes a very practical approach to presenting a readable source of radiation protection material for anyone working in the areas of radiological and health sciences. It is a suitable text on the subject for students preparing for careers as radiologic and nuclear medicine technologists, for residents, and for medical health physicists. It is an good reference guide for anyone using radiation in the health field, including physicians.The first seven chapters consist of radiation protection principles which have general application. These include a discussion of instruments used in the field of radiation protection both for area and personnel monitoring which is rarely found elsewhere. Additionally, a description is given of SI units for radioactivity, exposure, absorbed dose, kerma and effective/equivalent dose as well as risk assessment and the current recommendations of the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) and the United States National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP). The basic radiation protection principles of time, distance and shielding are also discussed here. The next three chapters are concerned with the practical implementation in the workplace of the principles discussed earlier, including a chapter on specific recommendations for the safe use of common sources of radiation, the laws governing the use of these sources and the calculation of shielding required for these various sources of radiation. The last two chapters detail the methods of calculating absorbed dose from internally deposited radionuclides (including a very lucid discussion of the method proposed by the Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) Committee of the Society of Nuclear Medicine) and external radiation (including a discussion of the Bragg-Gray method).Each chapter has self-assessment review questions and problems as a useful aid to retaining important information. The four appendices discuss the current status of the units and their current and former usage as well as the concepts of logarithms. A complete glossary and set of references are also included. Answers to the problems are provided at the end of the book.

This book takes a very practical approach to radiation protection and presents very readable information for anyone working in the radiation field or with radioactive material. Offering information rarely found elsewhere, the authors describe in detail both the basic principles and practical implementation recommendations of radiation protection. Each chapter includes self-assessment review questions and problems, with answers provided, to help readers master important information. Coupled with a teacher's manual, this book is highly suitable as an undergraduate text for students preparing for careers as X-ray, radiation oncology, or nuclear medicine technologists. It can also be used as a reference for residents in radiology and radiation oncology, medical personnel, or anyone working with radioactive materials such as those involved in homeland security/emergency services, or employed at a nuclear power plant.

This book presents an up to date ethical framework for radiological protection in medicine. It is consistent with the requirements of the system of radiation protection and with the expectations of medical ethics. It presents an approach rooted in the medical tradition, and alert to contemporary social expectations. It provides readers with a practical framework against which they can assess the safety and acceptability of medical procedures, including patients’ concerns. It will be an invaluable reference for radiologists, radiation oncologists, regulators, medical physicists, technologists, other practitioners, as well as academics, researchers and students of radiation protection in medicine. Features: An authoritative and accessible guide, authored by a team who have contributed to defining the area internationally Includes numerous practical examples/clinical scenarios that illustrate the approach, presenting a pragmatic approach, rather than dwelling on philosophical theories Informed by the latest developments in the thinking of international organizations