Impact of optimized and conventional facility designs on outpatient abdominal MRI workflow efficiency

The goal of this study was to evaluate the outpatient workflow efficiency of an optimized facility (OF) compared to an established reference facility (RF) for abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

In this retrospective study, we analyzed 2,723 contrast-enhanced liver and prostate MRI examinations conducted between March 2022 and April 2024. All examinations were performed on 3T scanners (MAGNETOM Vida, Siemens Healthineers) at two different imaging facilities within our institution. The optimized facility featured a three-bay setup, with each bay consisting of one magnet, two dockable tables, and one dedicated preparation room, while the reference facility utilized a single scanner-single table setup with one dedicated preparation room. Workflow metrics were extracted from scanner logs and electronic health records. Three-way ANOVA and chi-square tests were used to assess the impact of facility design, body region, and date on workflow metrics.

The OF significantly reduced mean table turnaround times (4.6 min vs. 8.3 min, p < 0.001) and achieved shorter total process cycle times for both liver (30.6 min vs. 32.7 min, p < 0.01) and prostate exams (32.5 min vs. 36.4 min, p < 0.001) compared to the RF. Additionally, the OF achieved turnaround times of ≤ 1 min in 37.2% of exams, compared to just 0.6% at the RF (p < 0.001). On-time performance was also notably higher at the OF (79.4% vs. 66.0%, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the mean time from patient arrival to exam start was reduced by 9 min at the OF (p < 0.001). Minor differences in acquisition times were observed between facilities, with both benefiting from deep learning reconstruction techniques.

The optimized MRI facility demonstrated superior outpatient workflow efficiency compared to an already efficient reference facility, particularly in table turnover time, resulting in increased patient throughput for abdominal MRI examinations. These findings highlight that even highly efficient MRI facilities can significantly benefit from comprehensive redesign strategies.