Children Centered Care: child and parent perspectives on a multi-faceted concept for magnetic resonance imaging without anesthesia - a survey

Background: Anxiety-provoking healthcare procedures require specific child-friendly approaches. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can cause anxiety for children and general anesthesia (GA) is often used. We developed and tested a multi-faceted child-friendly concept, Children Centered Care, for MRI of children without GA.

Objective: To investigate children's and parents' individual experiences with the concept using a survey. The main aim was to evaluate comfort for children and sense of security for parents during unsedated MRI.

Materials and methods: In this prospective study of 265 children aged 4-10 years enrolled in 2016 and 2017, the Children Centered Care concept is compared to a standard setup. The concept included an interactive app, trained pediatric radiographers, a children's lounge with a toy-scanner, and a child-friendly multimedia environment in the scanner room. A 25-item survey was used including a mix of open and closed questions, free text, and a visual analogue scale to evaluate self-reported child comfort.

Results: A total of 154 children were included in the Children Centered Care group and 111 in the standard group. Overall, the mean age was 8.5 years (range 4.0-10.9 years). With Children Centered Care, child comfort increased (88% vs. 77%), P = 0.02. The app and toy-scanner were popular among children. More parents felt "very much" prepared (80% vs. 57%), P < 0.01, and "very much" secure (92% vs. 79%), P < 0.01.

Conclusion: With the use of a multi-faceted, child-friendly concept, MRI without GA is a feasible first choice for children aged 4-10 years, with high levels of comfort for children and parents.