Patient experience and acceptance of a lightweight, compact 3 Tesla MRI system

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Patient Experience Research

Background:

• Patient comfort and acceptance are critical for adopting new MRI technologies.
• Compact 3T (C3T) MRI systems offer ergonomic design advantages over conventional whole-body 3T MRI (WB3T) systems.
• This study evaluates patient experience with C3T versus WB3T for brain MRI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare patient comfort and acceptance between C3T and WB3T MRI systems for brain examinations.
• To assess patient-reported outcomes regarding noise, vibration, and overall preference.
• To inform the clinical integration and future design of MRI systems based on patient feedback.

Main Methods:

• Fifty adult patients underwent clinically indicated brain MRI scans on both C3T and WB3T systems.
• Participants completed a 12-item questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale post-scan.
• Key evaluation areas included comfort, noise, vibration, and overall preference.

Main Results:

• Patients reported a more favorable experience with the C3T scanner across multiple categories.
• The C3T system was particularly noted for improvements in the exam room environment, noise, and perceived vibrations.
• Both C3T and WB3T systems received "very desirable" overall ratings, indicating high patient acceptance.

Conclusions:

• The compact 3T MRI system provides a patient experience comparable or superior to conventional WB3T for brain exams.
• Findings support the clinical integration of C3T, especially where patient comfort and satisfaction are priorities.
• The C3T system's design may enhance patient compliance, reduce motion, and improve workflow efficiency.