With MRI Safety Week set for July 23 to 29, data shows that many MRI providers aren’t recording ferromagnetic objects entering MRI rooms, three years after the requirements became effective
Metrasens, a leading provider of advanced magnetic detection technologies, warns that many MRI facilities have yet to comply with an important set of MRI safety requirements. The global MRI safety firm recently conducted a survey in which 36 percent of 162 MRI professionals polled said their facilities do not adhere to The Joint Commission’s Revised Requirements for Diagnostic Imaging Services. The standards were released in July of 2015. by the Joint Commission, a leading non-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.
The commission’s requirements state that MRI facilities should collect data on the following:
- Incidents where ferromagnetic objects unintentionally entered the MRI scanner room
- Injuries resulting from the presence of ferromagnetic objects in the MRI scanner room
Ferromagnetic objects, such as oxygen tanks and wheelchairs, can become lethal projectiles when brought into an MRI room. They are attracted to the MRI’s strong magnetic field and are pulled at rapid speed toward the machine. This has led to serious injuries and, in some cases, death.
With MRI Safety Week taking place July 23 to 29, Metrasens is raising awareness in the radiology community about solutions that are available to curtail such accidents from happening. The company specializes in ferromagnetic detection systems (FMDS) that identify dangerous objects before they come near the entries of MRI rooms and become a threat.
“The Joint Commission’s Revised Requirements for Diagnostic Imaging Services state that hospitals must manage safety risks in the MRI environment, but these survey results suggest that there is still room for improvement,” Tobias Gilk, a Metrasens consultant and MRI safety expert, said. “The standards provide the most effective approach to assessing and identifying the individual risks an MRI facility faces, and give managers the ability to implement mitigating practices and create effective policies that keep patients, family members and staff safe.”
“These survey results mirror what we regularly hear from MRI managers – namely that many facilities have struggled to develop an effective system to record these events,” Metrasens’ Senior Vice President Colin Robertson said. “To help solve this problem, Metrasens has developed solutions such as the MRI-Safety-ManagerTM, which enables collection and categorization of the data required by The Joint Commission. MRI managers can use this tool to swiftly identify ferromagnetic activity trends and generate powerful reports., and we continue to offer guidance to facilities that still need to become compliant.”
In addition to its ferromagnetic detections systems, Metrasens also offers risk assessment consultancy services for MRI facilities. For more information, visit https://www.metrasens.com/mri-safety/.
About Metrasens
Metrasens is the world’s leading provider of advanced magnetic detection technologies. With a technology center and manufacturing facility in the UK, a North American sales and customer service hub in Chicago and a global network of distributors, the company’s innovative products are designed to address deficiencies in conventional screening methods and make the world safer and more secure. A two-time winner of the Queen’s Award, the UK’s most prestigious business award, among other honors, Metrasens’ mission is to take cutting-edge science from the laboratory and use it to create revolutionary, award-winning products that meet the distinct and diverse security needs of its customers. Metrasens’ core technologies have a wide range of real-world applications, embodied by solutions that are easy to adopt and simple to use.
