In the wake of last October's serious accident in Swedish Lapland, radiographers, physicists, and radiologists working with MRI met in Lund, Sweden, on 5 and 6 March to discuss safety issues.
Interest in the workshop was very high, and it quickly reached the maximum participation limit of 97, with another 30 people on the waiting list, according to the National Professional Association for Radiographers, Swedrad, which organized the event.
The program was planned and effectuated by three MR specialized radiographers: Titti Owman, Johan Kihlberg, and Annica Sandberg. It covered topics such as MRI-related risks, implants, laws and regulations, incident reporting, and different levels of MR safety education. Participants unanimously called for national recommendations in the fields of education, responsibilities, and routines for scanning patients with implants.
The workshop organizers (from the left): Johan Kihlberg, Titti Owman, and Annica Sandberg. Image courtesy of Titti Owman.The workshop was planned more than a year ago, and October's accident helped further boost awareness of safety risks and the urgent need for well-grounded national recommendations, according to the organizers. It turned out to be a golden opportunity to start a national campaign to improve MRI safety in Sweden, they added.
