The goal is to better create a calmer, more comfortable experience for children who need an MRI, enabling them to successfully complete their exams. The Disney rollout is taking place at medical facilities in 87 countries.
“By bringing Disney stories into the MRI environment, we are helping create a setting where children can feel more at ease and remain still during scans,” Dr. Atul Gupta, chief medical officer of Diagnosis and Treatment at Philips, said in a May 28 news release.
“Reducing stress can improve the experience for young patients and their families, while helping care teams deliver efficient, high-quality imaging so they can care for more children each day, supporting better care for more people.”
The mass media and entertainment giant has provided the art and imagery in Philips Ambient Experience at no cost. Children and families can choose from characters across Disney, including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Marvel superheroes, Star Wars favorites, Disney Princesses and many more.
Disney has longstanding collaborations with children’s hospitals around the world, recently fulfilling a commitment of $100 million to support 1,700 children’s hospitals and pediatric care settings in 45 countries. Its Disney Institute programs have trained thousands of hospital staff.
Said Lisa Haines, SVP of corporate social responsibility at The Walt Disney Co.: “At Disney, we believe stories have the power to bring comfort and emotional connection to children and families.”
Philips Ambient Experience has been around since the early 2000s. However, Philips officials say recent research demonstrated that Disney themes could reduce stress for children, reducing operational disruptions such as re-scans, long pauses, or aborted procedures.
According to Philips, research from the 2000s shows that about two-thirds of children report feeling anxious during MRI scans.
A recently completed study involving 175 child patients — about 50-50 boys and girls, ages 6–10, at six pediatric hospitals in Europe — examined whether Ambient Experience with Disney themes could help. It found that the Ambient Experience with Disney themes reduced post-scan pediatric patient stress levels by 43% compared to pre-exam. Pauses during scans were down by 63% compared to procedures without intervention.
“The data showed that a child-friendly audio-visual intervention reduced stress levels in young children and decreased scan disruptions, supporting a smoother MRI workflow,” said Emilio J. Inarejos Clemente of the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at Sant Joan de Deu Hospital in Barcelona, Spain. “This can help clinicians maintain efficiency and focus on delivering high-quality diagnostic imaging, helping more patients to be seen without compromising care.”
Go to Medical Design & Outsourcing to find out what Philips’ Gupta told us about the product development process around incorporating Disney characters into Philips Ambient Experience.
