The importance of MRI safety in 2020
Despite the evolution of healthcare equipment, there’s a danger increasing crowds of people requiring an MRI scan aren’t getting the safest service possible. With this in mind, what are the MRI safety considerations every radiographer must address?
According to a 2017 survey, the UK’s MRI capacity is severely stretched compared to other countries, with 6.1 MRI machines per million people. In comparison, the US has a staggering 38.1 scanners per million and Germany has 30.5.
Naturally, as waiting rooms become increasingly overcrowded, it’s raising a few question marks over MRI safety – with a tendency to rush procedures and ignore the necessary precautions on arrival. Let’s explore the importance of running bad practices in greater detail.
What are the risks of MRI safety neglect?
The most familiar MRI-associated risk is the projectile effect, where the forces of the field near the MRI scanner cause any unrestrained magnetic materials to become airborne into the scanner’s magnet bore.
Simply forgetting to take out a hair clip or mobile phone can cause this problem and pose serious risks to individuals in the room. Patients and staff have been injured by the projectile effect and scanning patients with forgotten electronic or metal items such as mobile phones have caused patient burns.
The result can also have a knock-on effect on the future of an organisation too, with hefty fines and facility closures to contend with.
The question is; with increasing demands for MRI scans on the horizon in 2020 and no obvious clarity on regulating the process, how can radiographers offer an efficient service while maintaining a safe environment for patients?
Invest in MRI safe equipment and training
While there remains an air of uncertainty over common MRI safety policies and procedures in the UK, the best solution is to invest in further training and MRI safe equipment.
This includes filling in a special screening test form and always getting every person entering the examination room to change from street clothes into safe clothing. The radiographer must also conduct a comprehensive interview with the patient before starting proceedings to make sure they fully understand the risks involved in an MRI scan. Purchasing MRI safe equipment over regular healthcare equipment is another positive and necessary step.
Easy Roller MRI Safe Wheelchair
Transporting hundreds of patients from the waiting room to the examination room and onto the machine every month can put a lot of strain on a regular wheelchair. In addition, some wheelchairs from other departments can contain Ferrous metals which instantly increases the risks to patients when it comes into close proximity of the MRI scanner.
The Easy Roller MRI Safe Wheelchair is the durable solution, with no metal, requiring little maintenance and is MR Safe Certified of up to 7 Tesla.
FerrAlert™ Solo Essence and FerrAlert™ Solo
For complete MRI safety and peace of mind, FerrAlert™ Solo and FerrAlert™ Solo Essence are an investment worth making. The Solo is the best FMD solution for ACR Zone-3 screening, providing the highest sensitivity, full-body patient and personnel screener available to an MRI provider.
While the Solo Essence is the most effective, affordable and fast ferromagnetic screener for MRI safety, with full-body screening taking less than 10 seconds. Both are perfect for preventing serious issues from happening from the moment a patient or employer walks through the door.
Extra precautions to think about
If you’re interested in investing in our MRI safe equipment, we also offer product maintenance contracts to ensure they continue working at an optimum level at all times. Designed with your budget and the convenience of your patients in mind, you can protect your equipment and continue delivering an excellent service for many years to come. To find out more, please visit our Product Servicing page.
In the meantime, give us a call on01902 637333 or email sales@wolversonx-ray.co.uk if you’d like to arrange a free demo of any of our products. Keep up to date by connecting with us on LinkedIn.