Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, the largest paediatric hospital in Western Europe treating more than 200,000 children per year, has recently cooperated with Philips to create a less intimidating atmosphere for patients undergoing MRI scanning. Working closely with the hospital, Philips Lighting, together with Philips Medical Systems, created a room with a soft emotional environment.
Alder Hey was taking delivery of a Philips Achieva 1.5 Tesla MRI system. He commented: “Many people find being scanned an overwhelming experience. If a patient isn’t relaxed it’s often more difficult and takes more time. Philips works with hospitals to create facilitates that overcome these problems.”
Philips has many years of expertise in designing patient-friendly medical products. The Achieva MRI system is renowned for its lightweight design that ensures it is easy to site. At the same time, the compact short-bore design offers optimal patient comfort combined with high-field MR image quality. A full range of sequences and ease-of-use make the system suitable for all applications.
The short bore and flared opening of the Achieva has proved particularly popular in paediatric applications. Apart from the shorter tunnel, the flared opening means that parents can sit by their child and hold hands while the scan is taking place.
The artistic talents of Donna Berry, artist in residence at Alder Hey, were also employed to realise an imaginative underwater panorama, a complete departure from the traditional stark white walls associated with a hospital environment. Central to this colourful seascape, the MRI scanner was imaginatively transformed into a huge, bright yellow submarine, and Philips Lighting fibre optics were used to add a shimmering, 3D quality to bring the whole scene to life. Giving movement to the scene, the light-emitting fibre optics were then positioned along the ceiling perimeter within the scanning suite so that a gradual rotation of coloured light bathes the walls in waves of everchanging hues, complementing the brightly coloured fish and other sea creatures in this unique underwater world.
The result is a soothing experience that eases anxiety and breaks down many of the physical as well as psychological barriers that can make a visit to the hospital potentially frightening for a child.
