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[An attempt to prevent psychological distress induced by magnetic resonance imaging: effectiveness of psychological interventions].

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination has reportedly produced psychological distress such as discomfort, anxiety and fear in a certain number of patients. In an attempt to prevent such distress during an MRI, the authors took the following psychological measures: 1) improved psychological support for patients by MRI technicians; 2) providing sufficient information to patients about the imager and the nature of the examination; 3) reassurance of the safety, with the patient free to terminate the examination at any time; 4) environmental modification to induce relaxation, including recorded music, paintings and live plants in the examination room. We then evaluated the effectiveness of these combined psychological support factors for all MRI patients. A questionnaire on psychological distress experienced during an MRI was filled out by 143 patients (mean age, 49.4 years) and 105 patients (mean age, 48.4 years) prior to and after our psychological measures, respectively, after MRI test in Saiseikai Nakatsu hospital, and comparisons made between these two groups (chi 2 test, p < 0.05). The number of patients experiencing psychological distress during an MRI was significantly decreased (50.5%) after the measures were implemented as compared to the number (64.3%) beforehand. In particular, female, 60 or older patients and patients examined for the first time showed significant decreases in experiencing psychological distress after the measures were implemented. The number of patients who reported distress, tended to decrease. Patients who developed certain symptoms, such as palpitation, also tended to decrease. Patients who reported the "long examination time" as a distress factor and those who developed palpitation during the examination significantly decreased. Our results indicate that these combined psychological measures are efficacious in reducing psychological distress during an MRI, mainly by curtailing the patient's subjective sense of examination time. In addition to an MRI examination, our psychological measures should be applied to other medical examinations which tend to generate undue psychological distress.