Environmental Interventions
Several environmental interventions have been used to help reduce MRI anxiety. This includes creating a more comfortable environment inside the MRI magnet such as making sure there is plenty of light and good air flow21,28. Another way to help patients feel more comfortable is to give them a sense of control by providing a call button, thus allowing easy communication between them and the technologist21,28.
Hint: It is best to refer to the call button as such or “communication button” instead of a “panic button.”
Other environmental interventions have included changes to the MRI machine design to help patients feel more comfortable. Such changes have included an open-bore design instead of the traditional tunnel design97. The open-magnet design has been shown to be effective in reducing anxiety in patients although there are limitations to this magnet design21. It should be noted that the image quality is not as good as that of the traditional tunnel-shaped magnets and the overall scan time for each examination is increased, which poses its own problems as long scan times contribute to anxiety21,28. However, the image quality of open-magnets MRI has improved in recent years.
Another MRI machine design used to reduce patient anxiety is the shorter and wider MRI scanner, often called a “wide short-bore magnet.” This design increases the bore opening from 60 cm to 70 cm and has been shown to reduce anxiety and the need for sedation21,98. One study showed 89% of the patients scheduled in the 70 cm bore successfully completed their exam without anesthesia98. Very recently, an MRI machine manufacturer has approved production of an 80 cm bore, which is great news for anxious and larger patients99.
Lastly, some MRI machine manufacturers have created augmented realities to create a more relaxing environment for patients including murals on the scanning room walls, covering or shrink-wrapping the scanner with relaxing imagines, creating colorful environments, and projecting images so that is seems as though they are in another reality such as tropical island or rainforest. Others have created infotainment abilities in their newer scanners, allowing patients to watch movies, TV shows, or listen to podcasts.
There have been a number of non-CAM interventions used to help anxious MRI patients complete their examination. Some of these interventions have more positive results than others; of course, this is dependent on the patient’s preferences and what works for them. What matters most is that all of these advancements in creating a relaxing MRI environment contribute to a more positive patient experience.