The Walt Disney Company and Royal Philips are partnering on a project to test whether custom-made animated stories can create a more relaxing MRI experience for children, the pair announced Wednesday.
As part of the pilot, the house of mouse will create original animation featuring some of its most famous characters—Ariel, Marvel’s Avengers, Mickey Mouse, and others—for Philips to project in its patient-focused Ambient Experience solution.
The hope is the Disney features integrate with Philips’ relaxing atmosphere—complete with patient-controlled lighting, video and sound—to alleviate children’s anxiety and improve the staff’s ability to perform tasks during MRI exams.
According to the announcement, the clinical research phase will begin this summer across six top European hospitals and wrap-up later this year.
“I have seen first-hand that MRI scans can be intimidating for children, and I like how focused Philips is on the patient experience,” Jan Koeppen, president of Disney, Europe, Middle East & Africa, said in a statement. “At Disney, we look forward to complementing Philips’ MRI experience with our stories and characters.”
Also on Thursday, Royal Philips announced the 2,000th installation of its Ambient solution and the positive results of a new customer survey. Out of 59 respondents across the U.S. and Europe, 83% said the enhanced MRI suite improved the patient experience.
Furthermore, 76% indicated it eased tension; 71% said fear decreased; 66% claimed it induced calmness; and 63% noted improved cooperation during exams.
“Health systems are looking for ways to increase patient satisfaction while improving patient throughput and compliance in diagnostic imaging,” Werner Satter, general manager of Healthcare Experience Solutions at Philips, said in a statement. “Our customers confirm that Ambient Experience helps them improve the patient experience, reducing the patient’s anxiety and thereby increasing first-time-right imaging.”
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.