Reducing patient’s psychological stress. A guide for MR technologists

Nikolaos Stogiannos

Abstract


When performing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the clinical setting, the patient experiences many psychological issues, mainly due to the nature of the examination, the structure of the magnet and the anxiety related to the final diagnosis. It is the technologist’s responsibility to overcome these vital issues, ensuring the psychological well-being of the patient. Specific issues such as claustrophobia and anxiety have to be addressed, as they potentially affect the examination process and the quality of the results. In addition, the patient’s well-being must always be the main concern. Many ways of achieving this have been recommended in the literature. However, every MR practitioner must be always aware of the difficulties implicated with MRI examinations. The role of the MR technologist in providing proper care and counselling to reduce the patient’s anxieties related to the examination is underlined in this article.


Keywords


anxiety; claustrophobia; MRI

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.36162/hjr.v4i1.256

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