Easing anxiety in preparation for pediatric magnetic resonance imaging: a pilot study using animal-assisted therapy

Background Children undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can experience negative emotions both before and during their scan, causing them to move and often necessitating the use of procedural sedation. Several strategies to improve patient compliance have been attempted. Objective This study...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatric radiology 2019-07, Vol.49 (8), p.1000-1009
Main Authors: Perez, Manuela, Cuscaden, Claire, Somers, Joanne F., Simms, Nicole, Shaheed, Sabia, Kehoe, Leah A., Holowka, Stephanie A., Aziza, Albert A., Shroff, Manohar M., Greer, Mary-Louise C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anesthesia
Animal assisted therapy
Anxiety
Caregivers
Children
Diagnostic systems
Dogs
Imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging
Medical imaging
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Neuroradiology
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Nuclear Medicine
Oncology
Original Article
Patients
Pediatrics
Pharmacology
Radiology
Resonance
Statistical analysis
Therapy
Ultrasound
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Summary:Background Children undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can experience negative emotions both before and during their scan, causing them to move and often necessitating the use of procedural sedation. Several strategies to improve patient compliance have been attempted. Objective This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a non-pharmacological intervention to reduce anxiety in pediatric patients preparing for MRI using animal-assisted therapy. Materials and methods An animal intervention pilot study was performed in patients who agreed in advance to interact with a dog. Patients and caregivers filled out questionnaires, including questions designed to capture changes in patient emotion before and after the intervention. MRI diagnostic quality was compared to age- and gender-matched control groups with and without general anesthesia. Results The intervention in 21 patients comparing pre- and post-scan surveys demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in patient anxiety levels ( P
ISSN:0301-0449
1432-1998
DOI:10.1007/s00247-019-04407-3