Citizen science approach to assessing patient perception of MRI with flexible radiofrequency coils.

ABSTRACT

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a major medical imaging modality, which is non-invasive and provides unique soft tissue contrast without ionizing radiation. The successful completion of MRI exams critically depends on patient compliance, and, thus patient comfort. The design, appearance and usability of local MRI radiofrequency (RF) coils potentially influences the patients' perception of the exam. However, systematic investigations and empirical evidence for these aspects are missing. A questionnaire specifically evaluating the impact of RF coils on patient comfort in MRI would be a valuable addition to clinical studies comparing the performance of novel flexible RF coils with standard rigid coils. This paper describes the development of such a questionnaire in the scope of a citizen science (CS) initiative conducted with a group of students at the upper secondary school level. In this work, the CS initiative is presented in the format of a case report and its impact on scientific projects and the students' education is outlined. The resulting questionnaire is made available in German and English so as to be directly applicable by researchers working on the clinical evaluation of novel RF coils or the comfort evaluation of specific hardware setups in general.