Development and Comparative Evaluation of a Webcam-based and Barcode Scanner-based Check-in/check-out System for Enhancing Thermoluminescent Dosimeter Management

The management of thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) is of paramount importance in diagnostic medical and nuclear medicine environments where X-ray radiation and magnetic fields are present. This study aimed to develop a check-in/check-out system based on a webcam and barcode scanner to prevent the loss of TLDs and enhance their management. TLD barcode scanning was performed using a webcam and barcode scanner with a Python-based PyQt5 graphical user interface. The main functions of the system include TLD registration, check-ins, and check-outs. The performance of the system was evaluated based on barcode recognition speed, barcode scan execution time, and recognition accuracy. Barcode recognition speed showed no significant difference during check-in (p = 0.169), in contrast to the significant difference found during check out (p = 0.007). However, scan execution time was significantly shorter for the barcode scanner-based system (check-in: 3.68 seconds vs. 20.93 seconds, check-out: 3.89 seconds vs. 18.53 seconds, p < 0.01). Additionally, the barcode scanner-based system achieved 100 % accuracy, whereas the webcam-based system had significantly lower accuracy (check-in, 32.12 %; check-out, 28.47 %; p < 0.01). Implementing a barcode scanner-based approach in the TLD check-in/check-out system provides a faster and more reliable solution for TLD management.