Academic Journal
Patient and Family Perspectives on Point-of-Care Low-Field Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Children in the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, and Hospital Setting.
| Title: | Patient and Family Perspectives on Point-of-Care Low-Field Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Children in the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, and Hospital Setting. |
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| Authors: | Lee C; Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. Electronic address: cllee@usc.edu., Toliao J; University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California., Guzman K; Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; CIBORG Laboratory, Radiology and Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California., Lozano S; Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California., Shah P; Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California., Gonzalez F; Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Division of Emergency and Transport Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California., Nelson M; Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California., Santoro J; Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California., Durazo-Arvizu R; Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Biostatistics, Informatics and Data Management Core, Department of Pediatrics and Neurology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California., Doyle E; Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California., Liu CS; Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California., De Souza B; Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesia Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California., Spurrier R; Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California., Chiarelli P; Division of Neurosurgery, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona., Leporé N; Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; CIBORG Laboratory, Radiology and Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California., Chaudhari PP; Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Division of Emergency and Transport Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. |
| Source: | Pediatric neurology [Pediatr Neurol] 2026 Oct; Vol. 183, pp. 201-206. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jul 20. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Elsevier Science Publishing Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 8508183 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-5150 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 08878994 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Pediatr Neurol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: New York Ny : Elsevier Science Publishing Original Publication: Chippewa Falls, Wis. : Professional Publications, [c1985- |
| MeSH Terms: | Magnetic Resonance Imaging*/methods , Neuroimaging*/methods , Brain*/diagnostic imaging , Point-of-Care Systems* , Patient Satisfaction*, Humans ; Child ; Male ; Adolescent ; Female ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Prospective Studies ; Intensive Care Units ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Family |
| Abstract: | Background: Point-of-care, low-field brain magnetic resonance imaging (POC LF-MRI) systems allow for bedside neuroimaging at low magnetic field strengths. POC LF-MRI can potentially avoid drawbacks of other scanning modalities, such as radiation exposure and patient transport away from caregivers. This study aims to describe patient and family perspectives toward POC LF-MRI and compare their experiences to standard clinical neuroimaging (computed tomography [CT] or MRI) in pediatric acute care settings. Methods: We conducted a prospective, single-center cohort study enrolling children <18 years undergoing standard-of-care clinical neuroimaging in the emergency department, inpatient units, or intensive care unit. A research POC LF-MRI was performed within 72 hours of clinical neuroimaging. Participants/families completed a survey assessing satisfaction, comfort, and imaging modality preferences. Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed. Results: Of 137 participants (median age 12 years [interquartile range 8-14 years]), 94 (68.6%) underwent clinical neuroimaging with CT and 43 (31.4%) underwent conventional MRI. Participants rated their POC LF-MRI experience more favorably than conventional neuroimaging (P = 0.003) and reported greater comfort (P = 0.004). Most patients/families preferred POC LF-MRI (n = 86, 63.2%), while 16.9% (n = 23) preferred conventional neuroimaging, and 19.9% (n = 27) reported an equal preference. Among those undergoing CT, the majority (n = 54/55, 98.2%) rated radiation avoidance as important to their preferences. Patients/families found POC LF-MRI less intimidating than conventional neuroimaging (P = 0.002). Conclusions: POC LF-MRI was perceived as more comfortable and preferable to conventional neuroimaging. These findings can complement the clinical implementation of bedside POC LF-MRI in pediatric acute care settings. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest or financial disclosures concerning the materials or methods used in this study or the findings specified in this article. |
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| Grant Information: | R21 HD116011 United States HD NICHD NIH HHS |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Acute care neuroimaging; Caregiver satisfaction; Low-field MRI; Patient experience; Pediatric neuroimaging; Point-of-care MRI |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260820 Date Completed: 20260915 Latest Revision: 20260923 |
| Update Code: | 20260923 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13498777 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2026.07.022 |
| PMID: | 42624037 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1873-5150 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2026.07.022 |