How to beat the fear of MRI
Permanent loud noises in an enclosed space and coils wrapped around your body - this sums up the discomfort each patient faces in an MRI, and for some, it's an actual nightmare. Understanding not only the needs and fears of our patients but also discovering if there's a pattern or structure behind this fear is crucial. A deeper understanding will enable tailored interventions to alleviate the fear associated with this diagnostic gold standard. A very insightful and thorough systematic review of patients' MRI experiences by Isabel Nieto Alvarez et al. offers intriguing insights and delivers interesting information that could help to develop new approaches to mitigate MRI-related fears.
🔍 Study Design:
This systematic review focused on the qualitative assessment of patients' experiences. It incorporated 8 different studies featuring experiences from 220 adult patients. The quotes from these studies were categorized using a method called meta-aggregation, where similar quotes are grouped together and then abstracted into themes. Subsequently, corresponding categories were coded.
This process resulted in 4 different categories:
- Experience outside the MRI scanner
- Experience on the table before scanning
- Experience during the scan
- Experience outside the scanner
These categories helped the researchers identify various themes associated with each category.
🧠Results:
The study revealed nuanced patient feelings towards MRI exams, influenced by various factors. Many reported distress and anxiety not only during the scan but also throughout the entire procedure. The different categories from the meta-aggregation revealed distinct themes:
- Outside the scanner, the predominant patient interest was in obtaining more information about the MRI: How does it work? What are the side effects? However, this wasn't just about the content. There was a clear demand for different formats of information, not just written content. Based on the quotes, there is a need for visual information, images, and a personal approach, such as a phone call.
- On the MRI table, anxiety and distress dominated patients' thoughts, primarily related to the MRI's appearance and the feeling of being in such an enclosed space surrounded by coils.
- During the scan, anxiety and distress continued to be the dominant feelings, primarily caused by the noise, the inability to see outside the bore, the enclosed space, the vibrations felt by the body, and the staff's unfriendly attitude. Coping strategies were a secondary theme here; patients who had prepared themselves applied these strategies during this phase.
- After the scan and outside the scanner, the focus shifted back to information. Patients were concerned about understanding the images and the diagnosis, as well as the certainty (or uncertainty) of the radiologist’s findings. Fear of the results was another prevalent theme.
Interestingly, the study also suggested that MRI experiences might be influenced by the clinical condition leading to the scan. It seems unlikely that the condition itself directly affects the experience, but there appears to be evidence that the number of surrounding factors (coil type, scan duration, perception of one's condition, etc.) can impact the MRI experience.
Finally, this review confirmed that despite advances in MRI technology, such as larger scanner bores and quieter protocols, there has not been a significant improvement in patient comfort. The study suggests that more efforts and research are needed to enhance the current situation.
Read more about this in my article below.
Daniel Lorenz
🔑 Key Takeaways for Healthcare Professionals
There are solutions that are neither expensive nor very difficult to implement. For one, healthcare professionals could provide more comprehensive information using various media, adapted to a patient-friendly language level and format.
Additionally, offering coping strategies before, during, and after the scan, such as breathing exercises, could significantly improve the MRI experience.
A final major point is the enhancement of staff empathy training. This training should be provided in a non-judgmental way to ensure everyone understands the value this intervention can bring to both staff and patients.
🧩 My Key Takeaways
This study is a real eye-opener, highlighting the importance of the patient perspective, particularly the need for information in the right format. This challenge should be easily addressable in an era of modern media and with a generation of digitally native medical professionals.
Another critical point is the need for empathy. Rather than placing blame on staff, empathy should be viewed as a skill to be developed and refined through regular training and sessions. This would help staff better support patients throughout their MRI experience in the most empathetic manner possible.
If you want to see how I envision a patient-friendly format to explain radiology, follow the link: https://pages.q-rad.info/navigating-radiology.