All you need to know about IsoStock
Frequently Asked Questions
IsoStock is a management system to simplify the task of record keeping and help users of radionuclides to meet the requirements of their regulatory agency with regard to radiation safety. IsoStock has a fully configurable setup to take account of the differences in regulations that apply from country to country. If you have queries regarding your regulations, please do not hesitate to contact us.
IsoStock is intended for use by any person responsible for keeping the records of the holdings, accumulations and disposals of radioactive substances and sealed sources in accordance with the certificates/licences issued by a regulatory agency. This includes pharmaceuticals, universities, research labs, hospitals, and anyone who uses radionuclides for research, manufacture, testing, radiopharmacy and nuclear medicine. IsoStock provides many useful and timesaving features, without the need to think about manually calculating decay!
A site could have 100s of users all entering their day-to-day use of radionuclides into IsoStock. Allowing end-users to enter their records, relieves the burden on the site and department Radiation Protection Supervisors. The site Radiation Protection Supervisor overlooks all activities. Departmental RPSs can be given the task of overlooking activities within their area. Using the extensive security features with over 350 configurable options, specific tasks can be delegated to groups of users. For example, there could be a group that handles ordering new compounds and another that handles waste management. As the system is networked there is no need to produce monthly summaries as all users, subject to security access, can instantly generate reports.
Yes, it is very easy to use! IsoStock has been developed to replicate the different tasks that the radionuclide user performs. The screens are often very similar to a paper-based system. The setup, security and menu system work to provide only the options that apply to the user, and the compound they are working with.
Although we offer training, many sites can use IsoStock immediately owing to its intuitive design. The brief use of an evaluation system often provides more than enough experience to get an installation up and running.
IsoStock displays compounds in a “one compound per page” layout similar to a paper record. In this way, it is straightforward to see the complete status of any compound. All the transactions applying to the compound, including disposals, dilution, sub-samples etc. are shown on the same page. This information may also be printed on a single sheet to be filed or kept with the compound.
By default, the system presents the user with current active compounds either in page or list form. Searches allow the user to find the required compound quickly via references, compound name or batch, the department or user it is owned by, held in a given location, store etc. A quick find option, personal to the user logged in, provides instant one-click access to recently used compounds.
With any search, the compounds can be presented in list form, with instant switching between the list and individual compound view
Once the user locates the relevant compound page they just hit the ‘Dispose of this compound’ option. The user is presented with disposal routes available to your site. The user then specifies how much of the compound went by which route, or into which container. This can be done either by percentage, activity or in units of quantity. Support, all bug fixes and updates
Recording details of Sealed Sources and other transactions are just as easy.
Yes! IsoStock handles all decay calculations automatically – so you don’t need to!
Decay is applied any time activities are used, and all figures are decayed to the minute. As all transactions require a date and time, records can be entered historically, and decay will still be accurately applied as if you had made the transaction at that time. All the records within IsoStock are subject to decay, from the initial receipt right through to the final disposal.
You can use a variety of units for activity: TBq, GBq, MBq, KBq, Bq, Ci, mCi, μCi.
For quantities, you can use: μl, ml, μg, mg, g and also capsules, doses, vials, kits, boxes, aliquots and tips. For example, if you have 3 capsules at a certain activity per capsule, you could later use 1 capsule – with no need to worry about the exact activity, quantity or decay. Units are selected individually for every compound. All summary reports are calculated in MBq or mCi depending on requirements in your country.
Yes! IsoStock handles waste exceptionally well from the moment it is put into a bag/bin in the laboratory, through the decay store, and final disposal.
Bags and containers can be created within departments, and any number of used compounds or sub-samples can be disposed of into the bags. IsoStock keeps track of every piece of waste from every different compound that ends up in an individual container. All accumulated waste is decayed to the minute and accurately based on each half-life where a container contains more than one nuclide. Many options are available for managing the collection and decay of waste. IsoStock will calculate the date when bags will have decayed to specified levels. Bags can be allocated to consignments for disposal automatically calculating the total activity on the disposal date for each bag and the total for each waste type, with all decay corrected. The complete contents of a bag can be shown, allowing you to see each disposal transaction that contributed to a bag’s activity.
IsoStock will keep track of all radioactivity used within nuclear medicine.
This includes requests, receipts, dosing with automatic waste proportioning, and waste. IsoStock easily handles the complex decay calculations associated with short-lived nuclides and can provide the quantities required, compensating for rapidly changing concentrations across the day.
IsoStock will track all movements and usage of radioactivity within a radiopharmacy. This includes requests, planning, dispensing, generators, elutions, and waste. IsoStock easily handles the complex decay calculations associated with short-lived nuclides and can provide the quantities required, compensating for rapidly changing concentrations across the day.
Yes, 100% including editing! IsoStock fully tracks activity from “cradle to grave”. For every compound that is received on-site a full transaction list is recorded showing every split, usage, dispense, dilution, synthesise, subsample, movement, disposal, stock check, etc. A simple search for the compound will provide all this information. Waste containers are also fully traceable and the contents are detailed. You can see exactly which compounds, subsamples and quantities are contributing to the activity within a container. IsoStock also tracks dates, times and users for sealing and moving containers, and their final disposal. A simple search for the container will provide all this information.
All editing and deleting is fully audited with date, time, user, changes, and requires a reason.
Yes! IsoStock will track all of your Sealed Sources, with details of the Source and any equipment or housing in which it is contained. You can record details of movements, leak tests, calibrations, and location checks. You can specify intervals for leak tests, calibrations and location checks, applicable to all sources and also to individual sources. IsoStock will prompt when these are due.
Yes! IsoStock is always checking your limits for Holding, Disposals, Acquisitions, Waste and Sealed Sources. Limits can be set for the site and, if required, for individual departments. Instant visual reports are available showing each set limit, and the current situation concerning that limit as a total and percentage.
Reports are based around your limits, i.e. if you have a combined monthly aqueous limit for 123-I and 125-I, IsoStock calculates how much 123-I and 125-I have been disposed as aqueous waste during the month and combines the total for you. You can be notified when approaching your limits.
Yes, many! IsoStock has a large number of reports and options. Almost all screens have the option to print what is displayed, in a list or detailed form.
Exports can be made to PDF files and CSV files for Excel. The reports can be placed on the clipboard for direct pasting into other documents or emails.
IsoStock produces all the detail for your monthly/annual reports for you – no summarising or additional work is necessary. All the historical records are instantly accessible to aid with a regulatory inspection.
No. IsoStock is extremely easy to set up, install and administer. We will perform all the initial installation of your system and can also migrate current data.
Technical support is included as part of your annual subscription which provides hand-holding, bug fixes and updates
IsoStock is available on an annual subscription which includes a license, technical support, all bug fixes and updates