LOS ANGELES -- Nuclear medicine technologists report low confidence in both their knowledge of fetal radiation safety during PET/CT exams and their ability to discuss potential risk with pregnant patients, according to research presented May 30 at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) meeting.
"Limited training and inconsistent guideline awareness indicate a need for targeted education," noted a group led by presenter Olivia Riley of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
PET/CT plays a key role in the most common cancers of women of child-bearing age, which includes breast cancer and lymphoma, and PET utilization in pregnant women has increased, Riley told AuntMinnie. That's why it's important to understand technologists' attitudes toward PET imaging of pregnant patients and the barriers that influence their confidence.
Olivia Riley of Mayo Clinic explains the importance of technologist comfort with explaining PET/CT radiation exposure to pregnant patients.
Riley and colleagues conducted a survey that included 51 technologists at the Mayo Clinic's nuclear medicine division. Study participants received an anonymous email questionnaire that gathered information regarding their demographics, training, clinical experience with pregnant patients, attitudes, decision-making practices, protocol modifications, fetal radiation risk knowledge, and any perceived barriers to care. The team measured technologist confidence using a Likert scale, with 1 equal to low confidence and 5 equal to high confidence.
The group reported the following:
- Overall confidence handling PET scans of pregnant patients was 3.7.
- Technologist comfort discussing fetal radiation exposure with patients averaged 2.5 in experienced technologists and 1.9 in those with less experience.
- Responses regarding knowledge of institutional PET guidelines for pregnant patients were inconsistent (24 yes, 15 unsure, 2 no).
- Of the 51 respondents, 49 reported they would benefit from additional education.
- There was no correlation between gender and confidence in fetal PET/CT imaging safety or communication with patients about the exams.
The group also found that survey participants' knowledge of institutional protocols varied. When asked whether the division had established PET guidelines for pregnant patients, 24 respondents said yes, 15 were unsure, and two said no -- a distribution that suggests inconsistent dissemination or uptake of existing policies rather than a straightforward absence of them, Riley noted.
The Mayo Clinic has moved to address the gaps the survey identified, implementing new educational materials and updated processes in response to the results -- keeping in mind that the problem is not technologists' technical proficiency in PET imaging of pregnant patients, but that they need more education on how best to communicate to explain radiation risk to a pregnant patient in a meaningful, accurate way, Riley concluded.
Check out AuntMinnie’s full coverage of SNMMI 2026 on our ShowCast.
