Purpose or Case Report: Some negative patient and family experiences at our institution relating to sedation MRI examinations were thouroughly investigated. While causes of negative experiences varied, multiple patients arrived with misconceptions and unrealistic expectations regarding their examination, particularly relating to issues of MR safety, MR incompatibility, and use of sedation. Some of these misconceptions were found to be derived from interactions with referring physicians. As our institution already has multiple practices in place for preparing and educating our sedation MRI patients and families, we instead targetted the education of our referring physicians with a comprehensive sedation MRI packet complete with additional resources for both physicians and patients.
Methods & Materials: First, a letter to our referring physicians was generated describing our goal to educate them and in turn their patients regarding sedation MRI. Then, a comprehensive information sheet was created describing what a patient and familiy can expect before, during, and after a sedation MRI at our institution. Sources for this information included observations from our nursing and sedation staff, MRI technologists, department child life specialist, patient schedulers, radiologists, patient experiences from Press-Ganey surveys, and department administration. This information was converted into a more concise version in an easy to read Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) brochure. Elements regarding types and levels of sedation, scheduling, dietary restrictions, and MRI incompatible materials was included in these documents. Finally, a list of helpful telephone numbers and websites was provided. With each education packet, a link to a survey regarding the usefulness and impact of the education material was included.
Results: Survey data collection is ongoing, and overall response rate is low.
Conclusions: A comprehensive sedation MRI education packet was created for our referring physicians to improve understanding of sedation, MR safety, and MRI compatibility. It is our hope that these efforts, aimed at our most frequent referrers, will diminish perpetuation of misinformation and improve patient and family preparation for sedation MRI. We also anticipate that by increasing referring physician knowledge understanding of this type of procedure, we will improve their preprocedural consultations with families and lead to most appropriate use of this exam.