Subjective experiences of magnetic resonance imaging

Clinical experience with the new technology of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has indicated that the procedure may produce anxiety in a number of patients, to the extent that occasionally a patient may be unwilling to undergo the procedure. A study of patients' subjective experiences of MRI was therefore conducted and these were compared with those of patients undergoing computed tomography (CT). Initial interviews with 15 MRI and 15 CT patients led to the development of a questionnaire which was administered to a further 40 patients in each setting. No significant differences were found between those factors identified as unpleasant in MRI and those of CT, with the exception of the confined space of MRI; 40% of the MRI patients found this unpleasant by comparison with only 15% of the CT patients. Principal components analysis of the concerns expressed suggested three factors, to do with the machine itself, the environment of the machine, and the social interactions involved. Patients finding the procedures unpleasant tended to be those with high initial levels of anxiety, little experience of diagnostic procedures, and believing themselves to have cancer.