Picture Perfect Program Enhances Patient Experience

A unique program offered at AdventHealth for Children, Picture Perfect consists of a 30-minute, one-on-one, MRI practice/play session led by a certified child life specialist (CCLS). It was designed to help prepare pediatric patients and their families for imaging procedures and decrease anxiety by sharing what can be expected through a developmentally appropriate, hands-on learning experience. During the practice/play session, the CCLS explains the procedure in a child-friendly way, using a “me doll” to help patients understand what they are going to feel, see, smell and hear.

Picture Perfect was launched to reduce the use of anesthesia for pediatric MRI patients. Within the first year, 90 percent who attended a Picture Perfect session were able to complete their MRIs without sedation. The program has since expanded to include pediatric patients having voiding cystourethrograms and barium enemas. The ideal candidate is five to 12 years old and able to hold still for a minimum of 30 minutes without any involuntary movements, such as uncontrollable twitches or tics.