PDC is Humanizing the MR Experience with iPad
A collaborative effort between PDC and GE Healthcare promises to make the experience of having an MRI scan a little less unnerving by replacing the typical bare-walled room with personalized ambiance provided by the patient’s iPad or iPhone.
Promising to calm patients and provide a more serene environment, everybody will be able to “select personalized lighting, music, images and video to enjoy during their scan with a tap of the suite’s iPad.”
Taking advantage of a custom app, each individual has the opportunity to control “brilliant white LED lights and directional fixtures over the patient table for superior lighting during physician procedures.” Whether it is more relaxing or just offers a distraction, the app promises to improve the time spent in the suite while giving doctor’s a better opportunity to focus on the diagnostic procedures they are there to perform.
For those who are very nervous or may feel claustrophobic inside the magnet bore, the projection of images and video on the walls and ceiling will provide a welcome transport for their mind out of the confines of the machine.
The other consideration may be to bring something familiar into a very intimidating and often scary room for those patients who also happen to be children. Imagine how much easier the experience of getting an MRI scan would be for a child who can watch a slideshow of their friends and family (or video featuring their favorite cartoon characters) while the procedure takes place.
By allowing patients the opportunity to bring and dock their own devices (beyond just using something provided in the suite itself), patients can use whatever tools make sense and matter most for them. Feeling prepared and being able to participate in some way gives a strong sense of control which is often otherwise absent when there is a health crisis.
By providing a function within healthcare, the iPad and iPhone are improving our quality of life –a side-effect I am not sure Apple envisioned when they were creating these products.
