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Cleveland Clinic Portland Place Outpatient Centre 2023-03-19 Person 2 5 0

I was schedued for 14:00 MRI and previously attended a pre assessment on 1st Floor at 13:00 It would appear that nobody had read my notes or understoood the requirements to perfom an MRI on a patient with severe curvature of the spine and with existing metal work in many joints. The Cleveland have conducted Xrays, CT and MRI on me previously, with no problems. I am not a new patient. I arrived for check in at the MRI suite at 14:01. After a great deal of too and fro, with copius note taking, it was explained to me that the Machine I shoud have been scanned in was being used by another patient - a patient that had they known my requirements, I was informed, could easily have been accommodated in the other, more powerful scanner. I sat around in a gown until 15:30, getting cold and worried. When I was taken into the scanning room, unfortunately there was no pad or protection for my spine and because of my fixed curvature, they had to fit me into the scanner by raising my legs and buttocks with a wedge - this put extraordinary pressure on my spine. The whole procedure was uneccessarily stressful and excruciating - totally different to my experience for previous MRI at the Cleveland. The nurses and radiologist were all very concerned. After the procedure, I had to go straight to the toilet at which point I was just abandoned, left without any assistance, not even able to find the changing room. In the end I stopped a passing nurse and she showed me to the cooridor where the changing rooms were, but she wasn't sure which one was mine...Surly I should hav had a dedicated nurse to assist me until I was at least conducted to the changing room. I left in tears - I'm 70 years old, I don't need that treatment.

The radiology department should have read my notes to know the requirements so that the appropriate scanner was availiable. There shoud be adequate padding, for example a small foam pad or somesuch, to protect pressure points. I am 147lbs and only 5'4" tall, so it is not possible that I'm the largest or most difficult shape/size of patient that they have dealt with. In view of all the mix ups, delays and subsequent difficulties, in addition to the fact I was in tears and distressed, there should have been a dedicated nurse to see me through the whole process.

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