Investigation and analysis of nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment and radiation protection status in medical institutions in Tianjin in 2022

Objective To investigate the status of nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment and radiation protection in Tianjin′s medical institutions in 2022, analyze the distribution characteristics of diagnosis and treatment resources in different regions, and elucidate the current advancements in nuclear medicine in Tianjin.

Methods A questionnaire-based census and on-site sampling were conducted to assess basic information of radiological diagnosis and treatment institutions engaged in nuclear medicine, arrangement of nuclear medicine equipment, staffing of radiation personnel in nuclear medicine, allocation of radiation protection resources, and frequency of nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment across different regions of Tianjin (central urban area, binhai new area, and suburban area) in 2022. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare differences in the arrangement of nuclear medicine equipment, staffing of radiation personnel in nuclear medicine, and allocation of radiation protection resources across different regions.

Results In 2022, Tianjin had 18 institutions specializing in radiological diagnosis and treatment that conducted nuclear medicine activities, employing 224 radiation personnel in nuclear medicine. The city had 8 PET scanners, 15 SPECT scanners, and 3 cyclotrons. The binhai new area had the highest number of nuclear medicine equipment per million population (2.97), followed by the central urban area (1.03) and suburban area (0.78); however, the difference was not statistically significant (χ²=3.13, P=0.21). The central urban area and binhai new area exhibited similar numbers of nuclear medicine radiation personnel per million population (12.84 and 12.38, respectively), whereas suburban area recorded the lowest number (3.12), with no statistically significant difference (χ²=3.71, P=0.16). The central urban area and binhai new area had higher radiation protection resources per institution than suburban area, but the difference was not statistically significant (χ²=1.70, P=0.42). In 2022, the city′s radiological diagnosis and treatment institution conducted 106 655 nuclear medicine diagnoses and 10 896 nuclear medicine treatments, resulting in a total frequency of 5.03 per thousand population for nuclear medicine diagnoses and treatments.

Conclusions In 2022, the allocation of nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment resources in Tianjin continued to improve. However, disparities persisted among the central urban area, binhai new area, and suburban area. Further efforts are needed to strengthen the development of nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment.