Sometimes it seems as if medical imaging only involves a request and a report, while between the two there is a patient, often with fear.
From my own experience, and that of family members, I know how exciting medical imaging can be. In recent decades I have experienced how digitalization in healthcare is increasing rapidly. This, in combination with the increase in our workload, results in us, as healthcare providers, becoming increasingly distant from our patients. I find this a regrettable development, as it is at the expense of the patients and also because patient contact makes an important contribution to my job satisfaction as a doctor. Scanxiety has a negative effect on patients, the fear before, during and after the scan costs a lot of energy and can result in patients not going for imaging in time, think of the population screening.

My goal is that every patient can undergo a scan without fear!
These reasons have prompted me to start the stopscanxiety project to combine clinical expertise, educational innovation and patient advocacy.

It starts with creating clinical and social awareness for scanxiety. In medical education, we are committed to making the healthcare provider of the future aware of the patient perspective and scanxiety. At the same time, we collect scientific information about scanxiety and inventory which measures can best counteract scanxiety. Compassionate care with optimal patient experience during imaging will not only benefit patients. I am convinced that it will also improve the job satisfaction of healthcare professionals in medical imaging.