Protocol for Establishing and Maintaining the Calibration - NPL ...

FOREWORD
This Good Practice Guide describes the use of radionuclide calibrators for the measurement
of radionuclides used in medical practice and how all measurements made using these
systems can be traced to primary measurement standards held at the National Physical
Laboratory (NPL). Accurate measurements and their traceability to primary standards
together with a documented quality assurance programme are requirements of both the
Ionising Radiation Regulations, 1999[1] and the Ionising Radiations (Medical Exposures)
Regulations, 2000 [2].
In 1992, the Institute of Physical Sciences in Medicine (IPSM) addressed the issue of Quality
Standards in Nuclear Medicine and published their recommendations in IPSM Report No. 65,
Chapter 5 [3]. This section of the report was produced by a joint Working Group, comprising
members of IPSM and NPL, which dealt specifically with the establishment and maintenance
of the calibration of medical radionuclide calibrators and their quality control. Since then,
new measurement needs have arisen and commercially available calibrators have been
improved and upgraded. It was agreed that the original recommendations should be revised
and updated accordingly.
The Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) and the NPL established a
further Working Group in 2001 to revise the existing guidelines and to produce a good
practice guide for users of radionuclide calibrators in hospitals. The recommended
procedures are intended for use in busy hospital departments and should not add appreciably
to the existing workload. The emphasis has continued to be simple, robust and reliable
procedures.
The revision comprises two chapters. Chapter 1 includes most of the existing procedures
whilst Chapter 2 provides more detailed descriptions of, and justifications for, the procedures
together with relevant examples of possible sources of error and the typical uncertainties
associated with them.