Research Shows MRI Patients’, Their Family and Friends’ Reactions on Twitter Provide Useful Feedback

The results of a new study have shown that tweets can give clinicians useful feedback about patient experiences during Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) imaging exams.

The study was published in the December 2015, issue of the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences and was carried out by Johnathan Hewis, MSc, investigator, Charles Sturt University, (NSW, Australia). The research analyzed 464 tweets related to MRI on the social networking site Twitter during one month. In the tweets patients that underwent an MRI exam shared their experiences with friends, and family. The tweets were grouped according to three subjects, MRI appointment, scan experience, and diagnosis. The researchers also found tweets relating to the cost of the exam, claustrophobia, noise, and restricted freedom of movement during the exams. Patients sometimes sent messages of praise to clinicians, or messages of thanks for good results, while friends and family used tweets to support patients with prayers, and messages of strength. Some patients were anxious about various aspects of an MRI, and were stressed by the possibility of negative results. Some patients however also appreciated the privacy of an MRI exam or the chance to take a nap. The practice of allowing patients to choose their own music during an exam was confirmed as a simple intervention that could help provide familiarity in a 'terrifying' environment,’ and that could alleviate anxiety during an MRI. The tweets proved to be a valuable tool that could help clinicians improve the MRI experience for patients

Messages on the Twitter network are used by 19% of the adult population in the US in 2014, nearly all by mobile phone.

Johnathan Hewis, said, "The findings of this study indicate that anticipatory anxiety can manifest over an extended time period and that the focus can shift and change along the MRI journey. An appreciation of anxiety related to results is an important clinical consideration for MRI facilities and referrers. MRI patients do tweet about their experiences and these correlate with published findings employing more traditional participant recruitment methods. This study demonstrates the potential use of Twitter as a viable platform to conduct research into the patient experience within the medical radiation sciences.

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Charles Sturt University