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Improving Pediatric Patients' Magnetic Resonance Imaging Experience With an In-Bore Solution: Design and Usability
Annerieke Heuvelink1, Privender Saini2, Özgür Taşar3
1Imaging Innovation, Philips Medical Systems, Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Insights
Pediatric In-bore successfully engaged children during mock MRI scans, with most participants lying still and 60% holding their breath. This solution guides young patients through awake magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric imaging
- Medical technology
- Child psychology
Background:
- Millions of children undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) annually.
- Hospitals aim to perform awake MRI scans in young children to benefit patients and healthcare systems.
- Solutions have been developed to prepare pediatric patients for MRI at home and in hospitals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design, develop, and test a solution that guides and engages children during MRI examinations.
- To extend existing preparation solutions for pediatric MRI.
- To improve the experience of children undergoing MRI scans.
Main Methods:
- The Pediatric In-bore solution was developed using familiar design elements from preparation solutions.
- It incorporates child-friendly movies and auditory/visual guidance on examination progress and breath-holding.
- A usability study with 10 healthy children (ages 5-10) in a mock MRI setting evaluated task compliance and user experience.
Main Results:
- Children generally responded positively to Pediatric In-bore, enjoying the main character and movie.
- Auditory and visual guidance were well-liked and understood by participants.
- Most participants (90%) remained still, and 60% successfully held their breath during the mock scan.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric In-bore shows promise for engaging and guiding young children during awake MRI procedures.
- It complements the Pediatric Coaching solution, offering comprehensive guidance throughout the MRI journey.
- Future research should assess the clinical impact of the Pediatric Coaching solution in diverse pediatric populations.
Background:
Annually, millions of children undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. Hospitals increasingly aim to scan young children awake, as doing so benefits both patients and health care systems. To help hospitals reduce the need for anesthesia, we have developed solutions to prepare pediatric patients at home and in the hospital.
Objective:
The goal of our project was to design, develop, and test a solution that extends our preparation solutions by guiding and engaging children during their MRI examination.
Methods:
Pediatric In-bore was designed to deliver a familiar experience by reusing design elements from our preparation solutions. It offers child-friendly movies and auditory and visual guidance about examination progress and breath holding. To evaluate children's liking and understanding of the solution, we conducted a usability study. Ten healthy children participated in a mock MRI examination featuring pediatric In-bore. We observed task compliance (ability to lie still and hold one's breath) and conducted guided interviews to assess their experience and understanding of the guidance offered.
Results:
Participants (aged 5 to 10 years) were generally positive about pediatric In-bore. They liked the main character (Ollie the elephant) and her movie. Auditory and visual guidance were generally liked and understood. All but one participant successfully managed to lie still during the mock examination, and 6 (60%) out of 10 participants successfully held their breath.
Conclusions:
Pediatric In-bore appears promising for engaging and guiding young children during awake MRI. It completes the Pediatric Coaching solution that now offers guidance throughout the MRI journey. Future research can expand on this work by evaluating the clinical impact of the Pediatric Coaching solution in a larger and more diverse sample of pediatric patients.
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