July 2022- Full communications project
MRI Safety Week and Training
Who: Diagnostic Radiology MRI Section
What: Full Communications Plan including UI design focused webpage, graphics, social media promotion, newsletter blog posts
Result: More organized approach to yearly MRI Safety training yielding in X% more people being officially trained.
The importance of educating hospital staff on MRI Safety is growing in recognition amongst US institutions. It is estimated that 74% of accidents could be avoided. These accidents are monetarily costly to hospitals but also can be deadly. As with the event that inspired the creation of this universally recognized safety week.
The OHSU MRI safety program was developed to train many different roles, from janitors to anesthesiologists. Reaching everyone who might need the training can be difficult. With over 17K employees, messages can get lost.
The event that started all MRI Safety Weeks.
In a sentinel event in July 2001, 6-year-old Michael Columbini was tragically killed in an MRI accident. A ferrous oxygen tank was brought near the MRI scanner and became a lethal projectile under the strong magnetic force that surrounds the MRI scanner. The tragic event brought about changes to MRI safety practices globally and the anniversary of Michael’s death is used to observe MRI Safety Week.
reference links: ISMRM MRI Safety page | Metrasens MRI Safety
OHSU MRI Safety Program fills a need
OHSU MRI has developed a safety program to allow access to secure MRI areas to staff who have completed training. It’s not just MRI Technologists that require getting near an MRI scanner. Cleaning staff will enter the area usually at night to clean, and there are many instances of metal floor cleaners sucked into an MRI bore. This can cost the hospital several million to repair. Nurses and non-radiologist physicians might need to access a patient FAST as in the rapid response team. It’s important for them to be well-trained on the dangers of ferrous metals around an MRI’s magnetic field. Anything can become a projectile.
Developing a plan with a results focus
We knew the information needed to be shared with hospital staff, they were our main target audience, but we also decided early on that the public should have access to a summary of the information. In the past, other institutions have accessed our information to build their own systems, and as a university hospital, I feel this is an important role.
Next, I identified what channels would best communicate to staff. Having a webpage for our central source of truth was top on the list. Social Media and Blog posts were utilized to drive users to the website. I gained access to the training materials already created and started to build content for our site and communications from what was most important. Trimming down to the essentials was difficult. It was also important to have quick links to training modules, as this was the catalyst of the need for a communication plan.
Design and content choices
I decided to create a simple, eye-catching banner for the top. I also recreated the same image in different shapes/sizes to reuse for social media and blog posts for consistent campaign recognition.
Collaborating with MRI Leadership: I always thought referencing the Death of Michael Columbini was morbid, but the shareholders I worked with always have felt strongly about having that story as close to the beginning of all communications as possible. I would have chosen to have the training links above the backstory. Instead, I used buttons to help staff find the actionable item.
Challenges
The biggest challenge for this project was trimming down the amount of information. That’s hardly a complaint; I’d rather have too much info. The team I worked with was ideal, friendly, positive, and engaged. It just doesn’t get much better. This was a fun project.
