'Caring suites' humanize medical imaging

The University of California San Francisco is creating a magical new world of woodland forests and cable cars in a family friendly molecular imaging and radiology suite, reports SF Gate.

"The traditional imaging rooms are stark, sterile environments - cold and white, with equipment and objects people have never seen before," said John MacKenzie, MD, chief of radiology at UCSF, in the report. "They're often asked to go into an enclosed space and sit there and not move for a half hour to hour while the clicking and clacking of the machine does its magic."

UCSF is scheduled to open the new Mission Bay medical center in February. The article continues with other examples of health institutions adopting a less fear and more fun atmosphere for their patients, including distractions like iPads and flat screens and themed rooms that capture the imagination and not just medical images.