Breathing issues, language barriers swell MRI scan times
MRI technologists serving patients who have difficulty understanding English may need to budget additional scanner time—especially when image quality largely depends on patients’ compliance with breathing instructions.
The suggestion makes itself upon perusal of a study conducted at NYU Langone Health and published online Aug. 2 in Abdominal Radiology [1].
Purposing to identify the patient-level factors that best predict protracted MRI scan times, corresponding author Paul Smereka, MD, and colleagues analyzed records of 222 liver studies performed on two MRI machines over a three-month period in 2019.
The team’s key findings as posted in their study abstract:
- Scan times were significantly increased for patients with breath-holding issues during the exam (N = 43, median = 23.98 min) versus not (N = 179, median = 17.5 min).
- Among patients who had difficulty following breathing instructions/completing breath-hold sequences, a significant number were non-native English speakers (23 of 43, 53%) compared to those whose first language was English (48 of 179, 27%).
- Breath-holding issues were significantly more frequent for patients requiring a translator during the exam (15 of 43, 35%) versus those who did not (24 of 179, 13%).
“No other patient characteristics showed a significant difference between those with breathing issues and those without,” Smereka and co-authors report.
They further note several patient characteristics that correlated with scan times significantly above the median.
These included trouble with breath-holding during an exam and a first language other than English.
“The ability to follow breathing instructions and complete breath-hold sequences had a significant impact on patient scan time,” Smereka et al. write. “Patients who were not native English speakers had more frequent breathing issues during scans and significantly longer scans times compared to native English speakers.”
Abstract posted. Full study behind paywall.
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.