MR Safety Week 2025
21-25 July 2025
MR Safety is important all year round but during this week we support people working in MRI to keep themselves and their patients safe in the MRI room.
Look out for new safety advice sheets for 2025 during this week. Anyone opted in to receive our regular mailings will get emails with the latest update during the week 21-25 July and they can be downloaded below. Register or log in here
ADVICE SHEETS 2025
Magnetic Resonance Output Conditioning
A new safety feature called Magnetic Resonance Output Conditioning (MROC) will become mandatory on all new 1.5 T and 3 T MRI scanners under updated international standards. MROC helps ensure that MR scans involving patients with implanted devices follow safety rules automatically, reducing the chance of human error. It works alongside existing safety controls and shows the operator key limits during scanning.
0.9 is the new 0.5
Pacemakers and similar implants can be affected by magnets, switching them into a special mode. To avoid this during MRI scans, one safety limit on magnetic field strength was set at 0.5 millitesla. Recently, this limit was raised to 0.9 millitesla to better match the 1.0 millitesla level that manufacturers already use.
GISPs
Where patients have implanted devices, it can be difficult to obtain the complete device details, including MR conditions. However, experience has shown that certain categories of device present a low risk for MRI. Generic implant safety procedures (GISPs) are locally developed, evidence-based, risk-assessed procedures which can facilitate scanning for patients with devices falling into a suitable category.
National Taxonomy and incident reporting
The value of incident and near miss reporting and the associated learning is well appreciated in the MRI community. The new national incident learning system for clinical imaging, MRI and nuclear medicine has been designed to support national trend analysis of incidents and near misses, which will help direct future learning and inform risk assessments. Following on from last year’s introduction to the national coding taxonomy, the national incident learning system for clinical imaging, MRI and nuclear medicine is now accepting incident and near miss data from clinical providers. This MRI safety advice sheet details how departments can participate.
Fire Risk Assessment
The MRI department fire risk-assessment published by BIR has been recently revised. Two changes have been made to clarify the applicable regulations. It no longer recommends the use of firestopping between the examination and technical rooms, as this should be managed by compartmentalisation; and it clarifies methods to protect the quench system control cables. Read the full advice sheet here.
MR Safety week content from our partners:
The British Association of MRI Radiographers has produced daily resources on the topic of ‘Alarms and Emergency scenarios’ - read more here on their website.
The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) is hosting virtual sessions daily for MR Safety Week. More information on registration and the sessions can be found on their website.
ADVICE SHEETS 2024
The new national incident Gadolinium
learning system in clinical
imaging, MRI and nuclear medicine
Low SAR Acoustic noise
ADVICE SHEETS 2023
Managing interoperative Safety steps in an anaesthesia Generic Implant Safety
interventional and MRI services service in the MRI suite Procedures in MRI
Update on MR Standards Interpreting MR Conditional Labelling
2022
In 2022 we produced a series of podcasts and advice sheets to assist the imaging community with safety issues in the MR room.
ADVICE SHEETS 2022
New educational resources for MR Safety Advice sheet
IEC Standard 4th edition advice sheet
PODCASTS
The IPEM Magnetic Resonance Safety Expert (MRSE) certificate of competence
Dr Mark Radon talks to Dan Wilson about the IPEM Magnetic Resonance Safety Expert (MRSE) certificate of competence, how and why ABMRS are involved, why it was set up and how you can go about getting this useful certification.
LISTEN HERE
The Radiographic Role
Dr Mark Radon, Consultant Radiologist talks to Alexandra Lipton, Professional Officer at the Society and College of Radiographers about the important role of the radiographer in the patient journey through an MRI scan. They explore the different responsibilities of those involved and how the radiographer works with other professions in the process to ensure the safety and comfort of the patient at all times. Alexandra explains how radiographers cope with the challenges of managing patients with implants or claustrophobia and suggests what aids could support radiographers to make the process smoother.
LISTEN HERE
Cardiac Devices advice
In advance of the publication of the new cardiac devices guidance, Dr Mark Radon chats to Dr Charlotte Manisty, Consultant Cardiologist at University College London and Dr Jonathan Ashmore, Clinical Scientist at NHS Highland about the issues around scanning patients with cardiac pacemakers. With half a million people fitted with devices only just over half of hospitals are able to scan these patients. In this podcast you will learn who the guidance is for, gain an understanding of the difference between “MR conditional” and “MR unlabelled” and explore how the professions can work together to provide this service.
LISTEN HERE
MR Safety Week 2021
In 2021 we are raising awareness by focusing on highlighting aspects of the terminology behind MR safety. This includes revisiting the terms, and the recent change of the addition of a new “MR unlabelled” term.
Our three new safety advice sheets will be published each day on this page during the week from Monday 26 July 2021.
Please share with your teams, print off and use to discuss MR safety in your setting. Help to keep your patients, yourselves and your equipment safe throughout the year.
Advice sheet 1: Terminology Advice sheet 2: MR Unlabelled
Advice sheet 3: Myths and Maths
MR Safety Week 2020
In 2020 we focussed on the learning that can be gained from real-life incidents, what went wrong and how processes were subsequently improved.
Please share with your teams, print off and use to discuss MR safety in your setting. Help to keep your patients, yourselves and your equipment safe throughout the year.
Day 1 Anaesthesia and Sedation Day 2: MR Unsafe Equipment
Day 3 Safety in the MR Linear Day 4: Neuromodulation
Accelerator department
Each day during MR safety week in 2019 we issued safety advice sheets. You may download the advice sheets below.
Day 1: Active Implants Day 2: Cardiac Pacemakers Day 3: Cochlear Implants
Day 4: Neuro-Stimulators Day 5: Deep-Brain Stimulators
MR Safety week 2018
In MR Safety week 2018 the BIR MR SIG published a series of short advice sheets that briefly describe commonly encountered MR Conditions, why they are important and where to find some further information.
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MR Safety podcast 2017
Alan Bainbridge on MR Safety
MRI safety is vital all year round, but MRI Safety Week is a chance to raise awareness of safety issues and check that correct procedures are in place. In this podcast, Alan Bainbridge talks through recent advances in MRI safety, ways to minimise risk and, importantly, what radiologists, radiographers and physicists should be focusing on in MRI Safety week.
Dr Alan Bainbridge is Chair of the BIR MRI Safety Working party and is Head of MRI Physics at University College Hospital. He has a special interest in neonatal MRI and spectroscopy.
