Clearing the Runway: An Innovative Approach to Preparing an Intensive Care Unit Patient for a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan

Intensive care unit (ICU) patients need vital examinations, such as MRI, for diagnosis and to determine a treatment plan. In this institution, ICU patients were transported to the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) area where an assessment is performed. This takes place away from the ICU area, thereby increasing the risk for issues to occur without proper support. Developing a safe streamlined process for ICU patients going for MRI will decrease time and provide for safe transport while away from the critical care setting. A quality improvement project was developed to address this issue. A communication plan was developed to coordinate transport of the patient to MRI area, bypassing any other stops in radiology. Performing the patient assessment in the ICU setting instead of in the Radiology Department showed that most issues causing delays for the patient were caught and addressed before the patient was transported to the MRI area. By preassessing the patient and having both the patient and scanner ready, patient safety, patient and staff satisfaction, and efficiency are increased while maintaining a high standard of care.