MRI noises scared children. But what if they were part of an audiobook? | The Drum

November 11, 2024 | 3 min read

Listen to article 4 min

Winning The Drum Awards for Experiential Healthcare and Pharma Gold is AREA 23, an IPG Health Company and Siemens Healthineers with ‘Magnetic Stories.’ Here is the award-winning case study.

Magnetic Stories is a unique audiobook collection that transforms a scary MRI into a wondrous experience for younger patients.

Cancer is the leading cause of deaths for children and teenagers in Portugal, with more than 400 new cases every year (in a country with 11 million people). The survival rate in the country is around 85%, but the consequences of treatment are responsible for a lower quality of life for two-thirds of survivors.

Getting an MRI is a scary experience for most children. For kids over 12, more than 85% report having a fear of the MRI machine due to the noises.

Siemens Healthineers, the major manufacture of MRI machines in Europe, was in a prime position to help turn this negative experience around with their product. And Leya, one of Portugal’s leading children’s book publishers, was an obvious choice to help bring Magnetic Stories to life, as it enabled us to bring something kids already love into an experience that frightens them and make it more pleasant using the power of innovation and storytelling.

With Magnetic Stories, we are giving new and delightful meaning to all MRI noises—turning the fast spin echo beeping into a cute robot talking, or turning the constant pumping of the helium recondenser into the sound of a flying train, for example.

The stories are played through non-magnetic, MRI-compatible headphones, which use piezoelectric transducers to convert electrical signals into sound waves. These headphones work by receiving the audio signals from the MRI control room and delivering them to the patient's ears.

Advertisement

Now, pediatric patients can immerse themselves in original stories during their scans, easing their fears inside the machine.

Ready to get your work recognized on a global stage? Enter The Drum Awards today. Need more inspiration, read our Award Winning Case Studies.