PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Pedro Fragoso Costa
AU  - Giorgio Testanera
AU  - Luca Camoni
AU  - Christelle Terwinghe
AU  - Elizabeth A. Bailey
AU  - Norman E. Bolus
AU  - Tina M. Alden
TI  - Technologist Approach to Global Dose Optimization
AID  - 10.2967/jnmt.118.218131
DP  - 2019 Mar 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
PG  - 75--82
VI  - 47
IP  - 1
4099  - http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/47/1/75.short
4100  - http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/47/1/75.full
SO  - J. Nucl. Med. Technol.2019 Mar 01; 47
AB  - Nuclear medicine technologists are specialized health professionals who cover a wide range of tasks from clinical routine (including image acquisition and processing, radiopharmaceutical dispensing and administration, patient care, and radioprotection tasks) to leading clinical research in the field of nuclear medicine. As a fundamental concern in all radiation sciences applied to medicine, protection of individuals against the harmful effects of ionizing radiation must be constantly revised and applied by the professionals involved in medical exposures. The acknowledgment that nuclear medicine technologists play a prominent role in patient management and several procedural steps, both in diagnostic and in therapeutic nuclear medicine applications, carries the duty to be trained and knowledgeable on the topic of radiation protection and dose optimization. An overview on selected topics related to dose optimization is presented in this article, reflecting the similarities and particularities of dose reduction–related principles, initiatives, and practicalities from a global perspective.