Tired of those confining MRI machines? At New Hanover Regional Medical Center, patients can bring a movie and relax.
Since early August, patients have been able to see a movie screen in the goggles and hear the movie soundtrack through the headset as they slide in and out of the new MRI machine. This and other similar fancy gadgets added to medical services are part of an ongoing competition war among health care agencies to attract paying patients.
Gwen Jones recently handed the DVD version of "Big Fish" to a technician as she climbed onto the MRI table and put on goggles and a headset.
The 58-year-old cancer survivor has had more than 15 MRIs since she was diagnosed with a brain tumor four years ago.
"It's a happy movie, so that's why I chose it," said Ms. Jones, who was among the first to experience a new marketing tool the hospital.
A MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scan shows an internal snapshot of a person's body. The process can be lengthy and, for some patients, claustrophobia-inducing.
"When you put the goggles on, you're not in the magnet. Before you know it, your scan's over," said Bobbie Burn, manager for projects and business development for radiology.
The equipment, called virtual reality technology, cost the hospital $38,000, but paid for itself in its first three weeks in operation, Burn estimated.
Hospital officials said the MRI movies help them compete with other places, from doctors' offices to mobile units, to draw patients who need the procedure.
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Information from: The Star-News, http://starnewsonline.com
