The British Nuclear Medicine Society has found that nuclear medicine workload in the country fell by 65% during the COVID-19 pandemic, as nearly half of staff were redeployed, and 8% of survey respondents had little or no access to the required personal protective equipment (PPE), the U.K. Society of Radiographers has reported.
The period covered by the BNMS survey was between March and May, and it found the following:
- 98% of participants noted a decline in nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures.
- 85% noted a reduced workforce.
- Participants stated that 46% of nuclear medicine staff were shifted to different tasks or roles within the hospital.
- The most affected areas of nuclear medicine were thyroid and renal imaging, which saw reductions of more than 75%.
- Only 65% of survey participants stated that personal protective equipment was readily available.
- 81% of survey respondents said they had no problems with radiopharmaceutical supply.
