MRI Safety Practice Observations in MRI Facilities Within the Kingdom of Jordan, Compared to the 2020 Manual on MR Safety of the American College of Radiology

Abstract

Purpose The absence of ionizing radiation in MRI applications does not guarantee absolute safety. Implementing of safety guidelines can ensure high-quality practice in the clinical MRI with the minimum risk. For this purpose, this cross-section quantitative study conducted in Jordan Kingdom aimed to assess current MRI safety guidelines in comparison with those of 2020 Manual on MR Safety of the American College of Radiology (ACR). Patients and Methods A site observation study of 38 MRI units was undertaken in June 2021. A well-structured MRI safety questionnaire was the primary data collection method. Data were subjected to a descriptive statistics content analysis by the SPSS version 20. The results were analyzed to yield comprehensive discussions. Results A total of 38 MRI facilities in participated in this study with the responding rate of 44.7%. Patient screening areas and changing rooms were available in about 29% (11/38) of the MRI facilities. Most facilities (55%, 21/38) conducted verbal screening only whereas 21% implemented both written and verbal screening for their patients and companions in zone II, which was present in a percentage of 29% in the approached facilities. Meanwhile, only 13 (43.2%) of 38 facilities used handheld magnets for physical screening, 25 (65.8%) of MRI units did not use any kind of ferromagnetic metal detection systems. Three (7.9%) participating centers had MR-safe wheelchairs, ventilators, anesthesia machines, and stretchers. Most MRI facilities participating in this study (71%) had emergency preparedness plans for alternative power outages. Despite a relatively low number of participating centers having an emergency exit or code (26.3% and 10.5%, respectively), none of them performed practice drills for such scenarios. Conclusion Investing in new MR-safe equipment requires introducing ferromagnetic detecting systems. More research is needed to establish the degree of MRI professional’s safety-related education.

Analyzing the Barriers of Incident Reporting in MRI Practice in Government Hospitals of Saudi Arabia

“…This finding was confirmed by the study of Siewert et al . (2019),[ 3 ] involving an academic radiology department, where 50% of the employees reported that owing to existing barriers, they spoke up about safety concerns less than 100% of the time.…”

“…In Saudi Arabia, as per law, health care providers should report any incidents or adverse events which are associated with medical devices occurring within their facilities (SFDA 2022). [ 4 ] Ayasrah (2022)[ 3 ] has concluded that there must be more practical approaches to improve MRI safety for both patients and health care workers. A recent assessment of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) safety practices in Saudi Arabia has revealed that the majority of MRI units have demonstrated compliance with most of the safety recommendations; nonetheless, there are a few main items for which the guidelines may not be attained, like the absence of specialists and regular training programs to improve MRI safety practices for both patients and health care workers (Alghamdi 2023).…”

Assessment of MRI Safety Practices in Saudi Arabia

“…This is possibly due to the burden of financial commitment to organize periodic safety training, appoint an MRSO, or because Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) does not mandate MRI safety training or an MRSO. 25 Ayasrah 26 found that only 4 of 38 facilities implemented MRI safety training courses in Jordan.…”