A man books a scan, then cancels it two days before. He tells the clinic something came up at work.
What actually happened is that he read something about the tube being narrow and the noise being loud, pictured twenty five minutes of it, and could not face going. He has been putting off this scan for seven months.
Nobody asked him what he was worried about. Nobody told him the appointment could be arranged differently. The clinic recorded a cancellation and moved on.
1. Describe the room and the machine
What it looks like, how enclosed it is, how loud it is and how long it takes. People imagine the worst version because nobody has given them the real one.
2. Ask directly about anxiety at booking
A single question at the point of booking surfaces the problem while there is still time to do something about it. Patients will not raise it themselves.
3. Explain the options for claustrophobia
Wider bore or open scanners, feet first positioning, an eye mask, music, a companion in the room and prone or seated options where available. Most patients do not know any of these exist.
4. Explain the medication route
That anxiety medication can be arranged in advance with a clinician, with the implications for driving. This makes a scan possible for people who otherwise simply never attend.
5. Explain the communication during the scan
That a technician is watching and listening, that there is a call button, and that the scan can be stopped. Control is what makes the difference for an anxious patient.
6. Explain the noise honestly
Certain scans are genuinely loud and ear protection is provided. Understating this produces a worse experience than describing it accurately.
7. Explain how still is still
Patients worry about coughing, swallowing or moving. Explaining that small movements are normal and that sequences can be repeated removes a specific anxiety.
8. Ask the safety screening questions early
Implants, metal, previous surgery, pregnancy and any device. Asked at booking rather than on arrival, these prevent a cancelled appointment on the day.
9. Explain the contrast question
Whether it is needed, what it involves, how it feels and any previous reaction. This is the part people most often arrive unprepared for.
10. Explain the duration precisely
Time in the room, time in the scanner and total appointment length. People manage a known period far better than an unknown one.
11. Explain what to wear and what to remove
Metal, jewellery, clothing and whether a gown is needed, which is the same practical ground as preparation and fasting questions before a test.
12. Explain who can accompany somebody
Into the building, the waiting area and in some cases the room. For an anxious patient this is frequently the deciding factor.
13. Explain the referral position
Whether a referral is needed and what it must contain, which is the ground in referral and scan questions patients bring.
14. Ask the anxiety question before somebody cancels
An assistant that asks what somebody is worried about, describes the machine and the noise honestly, explains the open scanner option and the companion arrangement, and completes the safety screening turns a quiet cancellation into an appointment that happens. Handled with the care set out in how to handle sensitive questions in your chatbot, and alongside the at home alternatives in home test kit questions patients ask before ordering. See features, start at try, and the sector view sits under healthcare.