Imagine yourself as a young kid again. Your parents tell you that you’re going to the doctor for a check up. Your mind starts to create scenarios of what may happen at the doctor’s office. The fear of the unknown is very frightening to a young mind.
Now imagine getting your very first CT exam. Add to that you’re a young kid who knows nothing about radiology and the different types of modalities that we use to get medical images. Going to a strange and new place is hard enough, but getting an examination on a CT machine is quite out of this world. You would guess that a kid’s anxiety level would be quite high.
Images: Example pages of the digital CT picture book given to patient and parents.
The Child Life personnel in our Radiology Department at Cincinnati Children’s understand what our young patients might be going through on their first CT exam. That is why they have created a digital CT picture book, which they can send to parents and patients. The CT picture book contains a step by step guide on what to expect as a parent and patient on a very first CT exam. By providing our patients and parents with this digital guide, we hope to ease away the fears of the unknown.
Glenn Miñano is a media specialist in the Department of Radiology, providing graphic design, photography, printing, video services, and administration of the department’s online properties. His works have been published in several medical articles, such as the American Journal of Radiology and the American Institute of Ultrasound. He has been providing these services to the Radiology Department since 1996.
