Use of Shared Warm Waiting Rooms in Positon Emission Tomography imaging: Quantitative Analysis of Staff and Patient Exposures

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Abstract
The organization of nuclear medicine facilities, particularly those dedicated to PET, must balance quality of care and radiation protection in accordance with the ALARA principle. The evolution of PET technologies and the integration of AI improve sensitivity and allow large reductions in injected activities. In this context, the traditional practice of individual isolation room after radiopharmaceutical (RPM) injection is being questioned, since exposure levels in shared waiting rooms remain very low. This multicenter study evaluated the dosimetric consequences of using shared waiting rooms. Measurements carried out in three French departments show that the additional dose to patients is negligible (<1%) and that the increase in daily dose to technologists remains low (≈ 2.3 µSv/day), well below regulatory thresholds. No degradation in the diagnostic quality of images was observed. The use of shared waiting rooms therefore appears to comply with French regulations (ASN Guide No. 32) and provides a significant organizational benefit, enabling better patient flow management without compromising radiation protection or quality of care. The results of this study could be taken into account by the ICRP in the context of the planned revision of the radiation protection system by 2030.

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