As the patient will excrete the radioactive substance, avoid urine, faecal and blood sample collection for laboratories other than nuclear medicine for the first 24 hours. If collection is unavoidable, a radiation warning sticker must be attached to the specimen and request card, and the specimen taken to the laboratory under the supervision of the physics departmental staff. This is to prevent contamination of the laboratory and its staff, as specimens taken within 24 hours of some scans may contain radioactivity (HPA [62], HSE [68], Vialard‐Miguel et al. [166]). If an outpatient or inpatient has an acute deterioration and requires additional inpatient or critical care, follow the ‘ward considerations’ discussed earlier in this chapter with guidance from the physics department (HPA [62]).

Bone marrow and stem cell harvests should be avoided for 24 hours. Advice should be sought from the physics department as cells may contain radioactivity (HSE [68], Vialard‐Miguel et al. [166]). Seek advice from physics staff if the patient is to undergo a procedure in the operating theatre within 24 hours of a scan in order to prevent theatre equipment from becoming contaminated with radioactivity. Place soiled bed linen used within the first 24 hours of certain scans, for example bone scan, within an orange plastic bag (radioactive specific) and inform the physics departmental staff for collection (HPA [62]). Other issues concerning the management of patients undergoing radionuclide therapy are discussed in Chapter c24.

Patients and relevant others should be provided with education and information leaflets prior to leaving the department. Patient care, considerations and information should also be provided for healthcare professionals from referring hospitals prior to the patient's discharge or transfer (HSE [70], SNMMI [70]).