[Development of Dose Management Software Using Visual Basic for Applications and Dose Evaluation in the Field of Nuclear Medicine].

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop software for smooth dose management based on the Japan diagnostic reference levels (DRLs 2020) in the field of nuclear medicine. METHOD: Using the programming language Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), we implemented a function for calculating actual doses, a function for comparing doses at one's own facility with those of DRLs 2020, a function for calculating appropriate doses for pediatric nuclear medicine examinations, and so on. In addition, we evaluated actual doses before and after the software implementation. RESULT: The software enabled easy calculation of actual doses and comparison with DRLs 2020 for smooth dose management. Furthermore, we were able to use the results of dose evaluation to determine the dosage at our facility and to use them as a reference for optimization. CONCLUSION: In the field of nuclear medicine, it is possible to manage doses in accordance with DRLs 2020 by introducing own software into our clinical practice.