Disney themes enter Philips pediatric MRI rooms
Philips said Disney content is being incorporated into Ambient Experience for MRI across 87 countries, with study data showing lower stress and fewer scan pauses in younger children.
Royal Philips and The Walt Disney Company have incorporated Disney stories and characters into Philips Ambient Experience for MRI at medical facilities in 87 countries. The companies said the pediatric MRI content is intended to help children feel calmer and remain still during imaging exams.
Ambient Experience uses lighting, sound, and visual elements in the MRI room. The Disney content includes characters from Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Marvel, Star Wars, Disney Princesses, and other Disney properties, according to Philips.
A multicenter study across 6 European hospitals evaluated Ambient Experience with child-friendly content in pediatric MRI. Philips said the study included 175 children aged 6-12 and assessed anxiety and workflow effects.
In children aged 6-10, post-scan stress levels fell 43% compared with pre-exam levels. Philips also said pauses during scans dropped 63% compared with procedures without the intervention.
The study recruited patients from hospitals in Poland, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, and France. Children were scheduled for a first head-first, awake MRI and were assigned to either the Ambient Experience intervention group or a control group.
Data collection included patient and staff questionnaires, as well as MRI system log files. The log files were used to track exam length, repeat sequences, and pauses between sequences.
“The data showed that a child-friendly audio-visual intervention reduced stress levels in young children and decreased scan disruptions,” said Emilio J. Inarejos Clemente of the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at Sant Joan de Deu Hospital in Barcelona.
Philips said the intervention did not significantly affect stress levels or scan issues in older children included in the study. The company said further research should use content that may be more engaging for children older than 10.
Disney has provided the art and imagery for Ambient Experience at no cost as part of its hospital-support work. The Walt Disney Company said children and families can choose Disney content inside the Ambient Experience environment.
Philips said Ambient Experience for MRI is currently the exclusive MRI platform using the Disney themes. Early adopters include pilot hospitals in Europe, Rady Children’s Health of Orange County, and Calderdale Royal Hospital.
Company:Philips
About the author
RadiologySignal.com writersEditorial Team
Radiology Signal Staff covers developments across medical imaging, radiology AI, imaging informatics, clinical research, and radiology business. The team monitors primary sources, peer-reviewed studies, company announcements, society updates, and healthcare industry news to deliver concise reporting for imaging professionals.
More from this section
NewVue folds reporting into Radiologist Cockpit
The update puts clinical context, EHR data retrieval, generative dictation, and critical-result routing inside one interpretation workspace.
Hermia dosimetry update enters Canadian market
Health Canada approval covers Hermia SIRT and Hermia Lung Lobe Quantification, extending clinical use of the molecular imaging platform in Canada.
SubtleHD-PET clearance targets low-count PET scans
Subtle Medical said the software can enhance PET images from accelerated acquisitions and supports PET/CT and PET/MR systems across FDA-approved radiotracers.
AI-savvy trainees show mixed signals on radiology careers
A Canadian survey found that trainees with stronger AI knowledge were more likely to consider radiology, but also more likely to report discouragement tied to AI uncertainty.
SimonMed highlights role in large global X-ray AI study
The study analyzed 258,373 X-rays from 100 medical centers across 26 countries and evaluated the Rayvolve AI Suite across trauma, chest, measurement, and bone age use cases.
Former RadNet CTO joins Neurophet as scientific advisor
The neuroradiologist and former RadNet CTO will advise the neuroimaging AI company as it seeks to strengthen clinical validation and U.S. market expansion.
CMR-CLIP AI model interprets cardiac MRI scans with high accuracy
The model was trained on more than 13,000 cardiac MRI studies and linked moving heart images with clinical radiology reports, according to the research team.
Flywheel-AWS link creates governed imaging layer for trials
The integration combines AWS HealthImaging’s cloud-based DICOM storage with Flywheel’s imaging data orchestration tools for clinical trials, research, and AI development.
Free HelloAI training targets practical healthcare AI adoption
The company is making the HelloAI Professional track available at no cost, adding more than 20 hours of on-demand healthcare AI education.
Siemens links coronary CT planning to cath-lab PCI guidance
The system combines Syngo.CT Coronary Cockpit and Syngo PCI Connect to transfer preprocessed coronary CT angiography data into the cath lab.
AZmed gets FDA clearance for expanded AZtrauma scope
The clearance expands AZtrauma beyond fracture detection to include joint effusions and dislocations on X-rays in adults and children ages 2 years and older.
HOPPR breast imaging model converts 2D mammograms into text
The HOPPR EB 2D Mammo Narrative Model generates structured narrative output from 2D mammography images for breast imaging workflow applications.