Consensus Guidance for Nuclear Medicine Departments, Staff, and Patients (6,17,20–25)
| Managing nuclear medicine department | Nuclear medicine staff | Patients attending nuclear medicine center |
| Promote and practice social distancing (2 m or 6 ft) | Train in infection control | Screen patients and visitors before they enter department |
| Assess risk at local level, with local context taken into consideration (should not replace or reduce ability to provide optimal patient or staff safety) | Promote and practice social distancing (2 m or 6 ft) | Make initial risk assessment of patient by phone, when possible |
| Coordinate transmission of information between hospital information control department and nuclear medicine department | Minimize crowding in workplace (e.g., tea or lunch breaks) | Ask patients to inform nuclear medicine department if patient or family members develop symptoms before scheduled appointment |
| Ask referring clinicians to clearly indicate whether scans are urgent or nonurgent when requesting them | Maintain (6 ft or 2 m) distance in all patient and staff interactions when possible | Display posters in department reception area to promote hand washing and good respiratory hygiene measures |
| Train all staff members to ensure maximum compliance and vigilance in line with local guidance | Consider need for contact and droplet precautions (based on nature of task being undertaken) | Promote social distancing (2 m or 6 ft) |
| Provide clear guidance to staff on how to proceed when patient COVID-19 status is unknown and COVID-19 is circulating at high levels | Practice strict hand hygiene, which should be extended to exposed forearms, after removing any element of PPE | Recommend patient use of fluid-resistant surgical face mask (to minimize dispersal of respiratory secretions and to reduce both direct transmission risk and environmental contamination) |
| Establish local policy to reschedule nonurgent appointments | Have access to PPE | Ask patients to maintain strict hand hygiene |
| Display posters to promote hand washing and good respiratory hygiene measures within department | Train on donning and doffing PPE | Ask patients to minimize accompanying visitors and patient escorts |
| Allocate or make provision for separate space for patients with suspected or known COVID-19 status | Put on appropriate PPE before providing care | Give patients telehealth option (teleclinics to provide reassurance and guidance) |
| Develop clear escalation pathway to ensure cases are identified in timely manner and triaged | Know what PPE staff should wear for each setting and context | Inform and reschedule nonurgent appointments |
| Implement stringent local hospital policy for screening of staff, patients, and visitors before they enter department | Adopt single-use policy for gloves and aprons | Inform and reschedule elective therapies |
| Implement stringent local hospital policy to minimize nonessential visitors in department | Take regular breaks and rest periods | Ensure that patients spend minimum time in department (do not allow patients to remain for long periods in waiting area) |
| Provide PPE for staff and patients (because of concern about asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19) | Remain connected with rest of staff or with friends and family via group email, e-portal or social media | |
| Make sure supplies are available, and check stock every day and during day (centralize storage and distribution) | Make sure nuclear medicine physicians or radiologists are familiar with CT appearance of COVID-19 | |
| Implement robust policy for cleaning and decontaminating imaging equipment | Check PET/CT and SPECT/CT scans for CT changes in lungs before sending patient home | |
| Explore options and encourage reporting of scans from remote sites or home, whenever feasible, according to local policy | Be supportive and caring; nominate staff to look after staff well-being | |
| Encourage use of virtual conference tools for multidisciplinary or educational meetings | ||
| Provide for flexible staff-schedule rotation (on-site and off-site work, work in small groups) | ||
| Provide relevant, regular, and reliable updates daily | ||
| Develop contingency and business continuity plan |
These are examples based on consensus only, and responsibility lies with each institution or hospital to ensure its written policy adheres to that outlined by national public health guidance in its respective country and hospital.