The Remarkable Art of Fighting MRI Anxiety
The Remarkable Art of Fighting MRI Anxiety
No one looks forward to an MRI. While it’s not a painful procedure, it can be a stressful experience for the patient. According to a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health, 55.9% of participants experienced intermediate anxiety during MRI screenings. Another study found that 37% of patients who underwent an MRI examination showed moderate to high levels of anxiety.
It seems obvious that lying perfectly still inside a narrow 100 decibel rhythmless drum circle could create anxiety. What can medical imaging centers do to address patient discomfort? Character Farms CEO Mark Sullivan thinks he has the answer.
“Character Farms happened by accident” reports CEO Mark Sullivan. “My partner and I were running a traditional advertising agency when we were asked by a good friend to help her theme out her newly constructed Pediatric Dental. At the grand opening the office’s architect told us ‘What you just did solved a million problems.’” With his encouragement, we decided to specialize in creating calming environments for practices where patient anxiety is a problem.
A New Beginning in Medical Imaging
Mark and his business partner, Ernie Pacheco, began to specialize in creating custom themed pediatric office environments. They never used the same design twice and they used a variety different styles, but there was nothing like seeing people’s faces when they entered a Character Farms space.
Things changed when they got a call from Children’s Health the area’s largest pediatric children’s hospital. They were opening a new children’s imaging center in Addison, Texas and were asked to bid on the theming portion of the project. At the time, they didn’t know anything about radiology but let their creative juices bubble up a three-dimensional beach scene complete with a giant sandcastle. They won the bid, and the company has been busy ever since.
365° beach themed MRI room with 3D sandcastle for Children’s Health Imaging Center in Dallas, Texas.>
Imaginative MRI System Rewards
Redesigning MRI Scanning Impact
- $115,000 in lost revenue per year in 2015 dollars, per MRI scanner due to motion artifacts from patient movement due to anxiety according to one study.
- 34.6% fewer sedations for 4 to 10-year-old patients when they focused on distractions.
- 20% of all MRI scans have to be repeated because of patient motion.
- 18% increase in volume observed as a result of distraction techniques.
