A cross-cultural user evaluation of the prototype extremity MRI

Abstract

The proposed ergonomic design guidelines for the new extremity MRI led to the development of a prototype MRI. A cross-cultural user evaluation was conducted to guarantee the adequacy of the prototype for both Korean and Caucasian populations from 5th percentile female to over 95th percentile male potential patients. First, a scenario of MRI usage was defined from the chair setting, patient seating, scanning, and the egress of a patient. The user evaluation was done to measure participants’ local and whole body discomfort for the combinations of scanning types and durations, specifically focusing on the ingress and egress of the participant and the whole duration of scanning. The statistical analyses revealed that no significant change in discomfort was observed up to 40min of scanning duration. Since no electrical adjustments can be implemented due to magnetic interferences, it is noted that existing mechanical adjustments caused local discomfort to certain extreme population of patients in specific body postures. Thus, a set of modifications of the design was suggested in terms of supplementary supporters.