title: Benefits of automated surface decontamination of a radioiodine ward.
abstract: A floor-washing robot has been acquired to assist physicists with decontamination of radioiodine therapy ward rooms after discharge of the patient at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. The effectiveness of the robot in decontaminating the ward has been evaluated. A controlled experiment was performed by deliberately contaminating a polyvinyl chloride flooring offcut with 131I followed by automated decontamination with the robot. The extent of fixed and removable contamination was assessed before and after decontamination by two methods: (1) direct Geiger-Mueller counting and (2) beta-counting wipe tests. Surface contamination was also assessed in situ on the ward by Geiger-Mueller counting and wipe testing. Contamination maps confirmed that contamination was removed rather than spread around by the robot. Wipe testing revealed that the robot was successful in clearing approximately 60-80% of removable contamination. The robotic floor-washing device was considered suitable to provide effective automated decontamination of the radioiodine ward. In addition, the robot affords other benefits: the time spent by the physicists decontaminating the room is greatly reduced offering financial and occupational safety and health benefits. The robot has also found utility in other decontamination applications in the healthcare environment.
authors.affiliation: Medical Technology and Physics, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia. Eliza.Westcott@health.wa.gov.au
authors.forename: Eliza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Westcott
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Broadhurst
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Crossley
authors.forename: Lloyd
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Xuyen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Phan
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scharli
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003666:Decontamination / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D005430:Floors and Floorcoverings; D006283:Health Physics; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016272:Occupational Health; D011143:Polyvinyl Chloride; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013997:Time Factors; D014904:Western Australia
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D011143:Polyvinyl Chloride