Our founder, Tobias Gilk, penned two articles on MRI system remote operation (HERE, from 2020 and HERE from 2022). The first one essentially said ‘MRI system remote operation is coming, and we’re not ready for it (MRI safety-wise).’ The second one says ‘it’s here, and we’re still not ready for it (MRI safety-wise).’
In a nutshell, those articles describe how our standards, regulations, and accreditation don’t acknowledge the possibility for remote operation, much less give guidance for it. This means that providers who want to use this new technology have to build their own safety platform, and that’s daunting.
Here’s the thing, remote operation doesn’t have to be less safe than traditional. It does, however, require different policies and practices.
Here are a few essential elements to maintaining safety with remote operation:
- Technologists, or tech-aides?
- if 100% remote, how do you assess competency?
- How do you define ‘Level 2’ training?
- do you have different types of ‘Level 2’ training by role?
- Who gets ‘Level 2’ training?
- Lines of MRI safety communication / authority?
- Patient screening?
- clinical (implants, FBs, contraindications)?
- physical (changing / gowning)?
- Patient positioning / coil selection?
- Are your emergency actions all covered?
- code?
- quench?
- emergency power-off?
- contrast reaction?
- extravasation?
- unexpected implant / FB?
- Is everything written down in policies?
- Do those policies actually match how you operate?
MRI has mostly had slight tweaks on a single operational model. As a result, MRI remote operation needs a revolution, not an evolution, in the way providers operate.
What’s not in that list, above? Anything having to do with remote operation software! The OEMs making remote MRI operation available pretty much have the technology nailed-down. That’s actually the easy part (comparatively).
The more difficult piece is for the hospital to build policies and practices that ensure safety. And by making it safe, these policies and practices will also protect the organization from liability.