Medical Physics and Bioengineering Department, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
School of Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
J Radiol Prot. 2022 Oct 5;42(4). doi: 10.1088/1361-6498/ac9394.
Individual monitoring of radiation workers is essential to ensure compliance with legal dose limits and to ensure that doses are As Low As Reasonably Achievable. However, large uncertainties still exist in personal dosimetry and there are issues with compliance and incorrect wearing of dosimeters. The objective of the PODIUM (Personal Online Dosimetry Using Computational Methods) project was to improve personal dosimetry by an innovative approach: the development of an online dosimetry application based on computer simulations without the use of physical dosimeters. Occupational doses were calculated based on the use of camera tracking devices, flexible individualised phantoms and data from the radiation source. When combined with fast Monte Carlo simulation codes, the aim was to perform personal dosimetry in real-time. A key component of the PODIUM project was to assess and validate the methodology in interventional radiology workplaces where improvements in dosimetry are needed. This paper describes the feasibility of implementing the PODIUM approach in a clinical setting. Validation was carried out using dosimeters worn by Vascular Surgeons and Interventional Cardiologists during patient procedures at a hospital in Ireland. Our preliminary results from this feasibility study show acceptable differences of the order of 40% between calculated and measured staff doses, in terms of the personal dose equivalent quantity H(10), however there is a greater deviation for more complex cases and improvements are needed. The challenges of using the system in busy interventional rooms have informed the future needs and applicability of PODIUM. The availability of an online personal dosimetry application has the potential to overcome problems that arise from the use of current dosimeters. In addition, it should increase awareness of radiation protection among staff. Some limitations remain and a second phase of development would be required to bring the PODIUM method into operation in a hospital setting. However, an early prototype system has been tested in a clinical setting and the results from this two-year proof-of-concept PODIUM project are very promising for future development.
对辐射工作人员进行个体监测对于确保遵守法定剂量限值以及确保剂量尽可能低是至关重要的。然而，个人剂量测量仍然存在很大的不确定性，并且存在合规性问题和剂量计佩戴不正确的问题。PODIUM（使用计算方法进行个人在线剂量测量）项目的目的是通过创新的方法来改进个人剂量测量：开发一种基于计算机模拟的在线剂量测量应用程序，而不使用物理剂量计。职业剂量是基于使用相机跟踪设备、灵活的个体化人体模型和辐射源数据来计算的。当与快速蒙特卡罗模拟代码结合使用时，目标是实时进行个人剂量测量。PODIUM 项目的一个关键组成部分是评估和验证该方法在需要改进剂量测量的介入放射学工作场所的可行性。本文描述了在临床环境中实施 PODIUM 方法的可行性。验证是通过在爱尔兰一家医院的血管外科医生和介入心脏病学家在患者手术期间佩戴的剂量计进行的。我们从这项可行性研究中得到的初步结果表明，在个人剂量当量 H(10)方面，计算剂量与测量的工作人员剂量之间的差异可以接受，约为 40%，但对于更复杂的情况，偏差较大，需要改进。在繁忙的介入室中使用该系统的挑战为 PODIUM 的未来需求和适用性提供了信息。在线个人剂量测量应用程序的可用性有可能克服当前剂量计使用中出现的问题。此外，它应该提高工作人员对辐射防护的意识。仍然存在一些限制，需要进行第二阶段的开发，才能在医院环境中运行 PODIUM 方法。然而，一个早期的原型系统已经在临床环境中进行了测试，这个为期两年的概念验证 PODIUM 项目的结果非常有希望用于未来的开发。
