A pioneering project at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in Stanmore is being celebrated for making MRI scans less stressful for children and cutting the need for general anaesthetic by 88%.
Zoe Keates, Senior Healthcare Play Specialist on the children’s Coxen Ward, has won national recognition at the first-ever Innovation in Health Play Awards. The event, hosted by children’s health play charity Starlight, honours professionals using play to improve hospital care.
Zoe created a hands-on, interactive model of an MRI scanner called M R I Can Do It. With funding from RNOH Charity, she developed two prototypes of the 3D-printed mini-scanner to help prepare children for scans.
The model lets young patients role-play with dolls or action figures, select music, and choose a ‘radiographer’ voice. This helps them understand the procedure and feel more confident.
“It’s been quite a journey,” Zoe said. “I’m forever grateful to RNOH Charity – if I hadn’t had their funding, I wouldn’t be here today. I’m passionate about this project and want to make other improvements. I’ve heard so many stories from the parents of children who come to us for scans who have said the child could not go through with their MRIs at other hospitals where play was not used to prepare them. My work preparing children has led to an 88% reduction in the number of general anaesthetics needed for children at our hospital.”
The idea began when Zoe met a six-year-old patient who urgently needed an MRI but couldn’t be sedated. After her preparation techniques worked, she decided to formalise the approach. She has since presented the model internationally and hopes it will be used worldwide, including to support adults with learning difficulties.
One family shared how the project helped their 10-year-old son avoid sedation for the first time. His father said: “We know that he can now manage all his scans every year without having a general anaesthetic. I took the entire day off as annual leave today to be with my son and it’s only 10 o’clock and we’re done. This means we can spend the rest of the day as a family doing something nice.”
RNOH Charity CEO Rosie Stolarski said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to see Zoe win this well-deserved award. It’s testament to her brilliant innovation and the real impact her work is having. We’re incredibly proud to have supported Zoe and her invention – it’s exactly the kind of forward-thinking solution that can transform a child’s experience of their stay in hospital and we’re honoured to be part of that journey.”
Ade Adedugbe, Associate Chief Nurse for Children and Young People at RNOH, praised Zoe’s work: “Zoe’s dedication to ensuring children receive the very best care is inspiring and all of us are proud of her for this achievement and to call her a colleague. Zoe’s commitment to the quality of care given to children, young people and their families across the organisation has been impactful for so many in the years. The mini-MRI has got better and better – and Zoe’s not finished with it yet! We want to congratulate Zoe on her award from Starlight and look forward to what ideas she has next.”
Cathy Gilman, CEO of Starlight, said: “Like many play-based interventions in healthcare, the MRI play model has had an impact on multiple levels, allowing faster appointments and less invasive procedures, reducing stress and risk to the child, and with the bonus of allowing more speedy and efficient processes for the NHS. It demonstrates the need for play-based solutions in other settings.”
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