Can MRI be a peaceful experience?

According to a new study that uncovers the cause of MRI stress and how to deal with it, patients who are anxious during an MRI are more likely to need their MRI sequences done again. Magnetic resonance imaging procedures are standard, but research indicates that up to 37% of patients experience moderate anxiety. Patients who are stressed during an exam are more likely to need sedation or even miss the exam.

In addition to harming patients’ experiences, stress and anxiety are linked to unanticipated patient-related events that slow down clinical operations and cause substantial financial losses.

Experts examined how patients responded both psychologically and physiologically to MRIs, the factors that affect their response and the impact on outcomes to understand better how to reduce anxiety.

The researchers interviewed 96 patients undergoing MRIs that required them to undergo head first. Before the scan, patients answered pre-examination questions and provided a saliva sample (to measure cortisol levels). The steps were then immediately repeated.

Psychological measurements according to questionnaires before and after MRI improved significantly, but physiological responses remained unchanged. According to experts, this could be due to the examination’s duration or increased patient cortisol levels.

Results vary in terms of factors that can influence anxiety (prior MRI experience, pain, age, location, etc.). Some related to cortisol levels before and after MRI, but little to do with psychological status. However, previous MRI experience was most strongly associated with outcomes (retest, exam duration, etc.).

This suggests that patients who have had an uncomfortable experience with an MRI will continue to have a bad experience; However, it also means that if you manage to deliver a positive patient experience, patients are more likely to have a more positive experience in the future visits.

Further research focusing on personalizing the patient’s experience based on their psychological and physiological needs could reduce the need for follow-up visits and sedation.

MRI In-Bore Cinema

With technology that can bring you to the idea of ​​a peaceful environment, a new MRI experience. MRI is one of the important tools for detecting injuries or diseases in organs, tissues and blood vessels. However, MRI imaging often requires the patient to lie still, face up, inside a sometimes noisy and cramped tube for several minutes – a prospect that worries some. Large-diameter MRI scanners have added features to improve the patient experience. In-bore MRI Cinema and Ambient Experience are features of the new scanner that enable patients to have an audio-visual experience that they can tailor in addition to listening to music. “It makes the examination more comfortable and keeps the patient calm and engaged.”

Choose Your Calm

Before scanning, you can choose an attractive colour scheme and themes, such as a serene forest or a pristine tropical beach. When you enter the MRI room, you will hear the soothing sounds of the place. In the tunnel, you’ll continue to enjoy the sights and sounds of your destination with headphones and mirrors, allowing you to see the projection on the rear wall outside the tube. During your stay in the borehole, you will receive audio/visual notifications about the duration of each scan and instructions on when and how long to hold your breath, if needed. The MRI In-bore Cinema is one of many patient-friendly features.

Fast and Accurate

Patient comfort is only part of what defines modern MRI scanners. Other characteristics include speed and accuracy. The new scanner features many innovations that allow our technicians to perform routine and complex scans quickly and efficiently. Exceptional image quality helps physicians make accurate diagnoses and reduces the need for repeat visits. We can now do all angiographic scans without contrast for people at high risk for kidney disease. The MRI is an invaluable diagnostic tool – and having one of the latest versions of this technology is a big plus. “The acquisition of this new scanner is a significant step forward”. Patient comfort is always what sets the new MR scanner apart.

MRI Projector

While the typical MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) setting can be sterile and cold, the atmosphere of the MRI Projector is all about patient comfort and relaxation. Before the exam begins, patients choose their visual preferences from as many natural themes, such as aquariums, waterfalls, and coastal or mountain landscapes. Selections are made on the console monitor with the help of a technician. A large ceiling-mounted display projector above the patient’s table projects the images, combined with soft, colourful lighting and peaceful background music throughout the scan.

Comfort is essential because MRI requires the patient to be calm and physically immobile. The scan can take a long time, sometimes up to an hour or more, depending on the nature of the exam.

Wide Bore MRI

In addition to the MRI Ambience experience, the new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine in the Outpatient Radiology department offers:

• More than 4 inches of opening for increased patient comfort
• Larger table weight limit
• Shorter examination tunnels can be performed with the forefoot, with the patient’s head remaining outside the device for multiple exams
• Scans are quieter and shorter

New MRI also provides “sharper” high-resolution quality images with improved performance detail. Innovative technology allows Emergency Imaging to perform additional services that have never been offered, including imaging small body parts such as the wrist and hand. Feedback to the MR Ambience has been very positive, with patients saying the atmosphere is welcoming and they feel more comfortable during the examination.