Philips, ‘Pediatric coaching’ for young patients during MRI

It is called ‘Philips Pediatric Coaching’ and is a holistic solution designed to improve the experience of parents and their children undergoing MRI, using gamification and “buddy system” techniques. It is launched by Royal Philips, a global leader in the health technology sector, within the Philips Ambient Experience portfolio, a range of solutions created to improve the experience of patients and healthcare professionals. Acquiring high-quality images in pediatric magnetic resonance imaging can be difficult for both radiologists and small scanned patients. Fear of the unfamiliar environment of an MRI system can be stressful for a child, making them agitated and unable to sit still, which is a necessary requirement for good image quality. As a result, scans are often performed under sedation or general anesthesia, which, according to the parents, comes with disadvantages such as post-scan irritability for the child and concerns about repeated exposure to anesthesia. Having to resort to such measures or caring for a conscious but distressed child is a challenge for hospital staff, a factor that also increases the time and cost of the procedure. By helping and encouraging children during an MRI scan, the Philips Pediatric Coaching solution overcomes many of these problems. our youngest patients. By removing the factors that can trigger stress, we are redefining the experience of engaging pediatric patients to help improve clinical outcomes, “says Werner Satter, General Manager Philips Healthcare Environment and Experience Design.” With Philips Pediatric Coaching, we use gamification to help children better prepare for their MRI, interacting with them already in the reassuring home environment through the same character and voice – as Ollie the Elephant and his friends – who provides them with directions even in the hospital, and can even doing it during the MRI procedure itself. ”To prepare for the MRI – the company note explains – a playful mobile app is provided that helps the child and parents to familiarize themselves in a playful way with the MRI procedure. The app also introduces the child to a virtual ‘friend’ with whom he can play a run magnetic resonance imaging, for example pretending to be the operator of the system and helping his friend to stay still to get the best image. The app also uses augmented reality to allow the child to explore the MRI system at home, before entering the hospital. Parents, in turn, by playing with them, can also learn more about the procedure.When the family visits the radiology department, the same virtual friend already met through the app interacts with the child while playing with the ‘Kitten scanner’ , the new version of the Philips small-scale educational scanner that allows children to scan various toy animals and see what’s inside them, for a better understanding of the upcoming procedure. While the baby is being scanned, his friend’s voice and familiar image are projected onto the Philips Ambient Experience in-bore Connect solution, to guide the baby through the scan process by teaching him, for example, when and how to hold his breath . With the new Pediatric Coaching Solution, parents are reassured and the child is serene and well prepared, thus ensuring that the high quality images necessary for an accurate diagnosis of the young patient’s condition are captured. recent International Congress of Pediatric Radiology 2021 (IPR 2021), held in Rome from 11 to 15 October last. In addition to the MRI version, Philips also plans to make Pediatric Coaching available in other diagnostic imaging modalities such as CT. The solution will also be on display at the Philips booth at the next 2021 annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA 2021), from November 28 to December 2, 2021, in Chicago (USA). During Rnsa 2021, Philips will highlight the latest and most advanced technologies, capable of driving connected workflows and intelligent diagnosis systems, to increase diagnostic efficiency and reliability in precision care.