Paediatric 99mTc-DMSA imaging: reducing distress and rate of sedation using a psychological approach

Does a Photo Diary Decrease Stress and Anxiety in Children Undergoing Magnetic Resonance Imaging? A Randomized, Controlled Study

“…Only one study used a photo booklet as an intervention to decrease distress and sedation rates in children undergoing dimmer captosuccinic acid labeled with technetium-99 scan (Train, Colville, Allan, & Thurlbeck, 2006). Although sedation rate, service satisfaction, and ratio of negative to positive comments were significantly improved postintervention, methodology used in data collection prevented an adequate understanding of the influence of the photo booklet.…”

Interventions to Reduce Anxiety, Distress, and the Need for Sedation in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Systematic Review

“…This may be a contributing cause to the fact that there was no significant difference in patient anxiety between the two groups in one study (P. Garcia et al, 2007). However, it does appear that these preparation booklets are well received, particularly by parents (P. Garcia et al, 2007;Train et al, 2006).…”

“…Despite the seeming growth in interest of environmental manipulation for children imaging environments (GE Healthcare, 2010), no studies were identified in MRI, although one in nuclear medicine was found during the search (Train et al, 2006). Further research is needed in this exciting area where imaging environments are specifically designed to make the scanning process less daunting and more exciting for children.…”

“…This anxiety can also lead to anxiety in the parent/caregiver of the child (P. Garcia, Biggs, Hunter, & Pearson, 2007) and can make acquiring images that require the child to be still for 30 min or more exceedingly difficult, especially in younger children (P. Garcia et al, 2007). Procedures often need to be repeated due to movement artifacts, which results in increased health care costs, increased exposure to radiation, and can be inconvenient for families and persons getting scanned (Train, Colville, Allan, & Thurlbeck, 2006). Due to this, sedation is often used to assist patients in keeping still and and is routine for young children undergoing MRI (Smart, 1997;Train et al, 2006) in some organizations, although there are costs and side effects associated with its use in both adults and pediatrics (Harned & Strain, 2001;Smart, 1997;Train et al, 2006).…”

Utility of sedation for young children undergoing dimercaptosuccinic acid renal scans

“…Nelson et al [1] found that parents consider their child's discomfort level during a VCUG to be significantly higher than discomfort during DMSA scan, and higher than discomfort during a renal sonogram. Train et al [6] reported that appropriate patient preparation and distraction can successfully reduce the proportion of children undergoing sedation for DMSA. No studies have examined whether the use of sedation during the imaging portion of the DMSA scan is associated with less discomfort.…”