FINAL DRAFT 9/6/95
UPDATED NOV. 1996
Narrative
Functional Considerations
Locate clean and soiled utility functions
The reception area initiates and holds
close to the patient areas they support and
patient film records.
distance them from patient traffic.
Patient areas are consolidated to control
patient access and to maintain patient
Radioactive Materials
privacy, security, and dignity.
Vendors may deliver radionuclides or
Staff Support Areas, which deal with film
generator kits for clinical or research uses
work, image manipulation and quality control,
that require security and special handling. A
are consolidated in a core area to ensure
dedicated area in the "hot laboratory" or
image quality, staff efficacy, and patient
another secured area must be identified for
record security and privacy.
that purpose.
Clinical administrative areas addressing
Used
radiopharmaceutical
containers
referral,
reading
interpretation,
and
and/or kits and radiation-contaminated waste
consultation functions are accessible to
articles are retained on-site for a period of
physicians.
decay are and maintained in a decay storage
Consultation and interpretation areas are
room or closet as required by the materials
not accessible to patients and should be
stored. The National Council on Radiation
private staff work areas.
Protection
and
Measurement
(NCRP)
regulates storage. The Nuclear Regulatory
Building Systems Integration:
Commission (NRC) regulates disposal.
Depressed slabs and/or structure for
A physicist supervises the secured
electrical access may be (but not required)
storage within the department, but it may also
distributed in floor trenches. The locations
be in another secured area of the facility.
require coordination.
A small room with shelves to hold
Investigate environmental requirements,
radioactive waste for decay may be required
such as biological safety cabinets or direct
in many facilities.
Access to commercial
exhaust for xenon gas that will not
waste disposal is very limited and is very
contaminate the air intake.
expensive when available. "Decay-in storage"
is the waste disposal method of choice. The
Staff Utilization and Cross-Training:
need for such space is determined by the
amount of materials prepared on-site vs. the
The nuclear physics aspect of Nuclear
procurements
from
commercial
Medicine requires specialized staffing.
radiopharmacies to which waste is ordinarily
Endocrinology and Cardiology diagnostic
returned.
services utilize nuclear techniques and may
benefit from joint activities with Nuclear
Medicine.
Organizational Concepts:
Other departments, like radiology,
Functional Layering:
also
use
digital
and
film
image
The reception area controls access to the
technologies.The Stress Testing activities of
patient areas and secures areas where
Nuclear Medicine, Cardiology, and Ultrasound
radionuclides are stored or utilized.
may be consolidated if patient safety and/or
Signage is required by law to identify
test results are not compromised.
areas where radioactive products are utilized
VA DESIGN GUIDE
NUCLEAR MEDICINE SERVICE
PAGE 2-6
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