MR siting: improving efficiency and safety.

The installation of an MR scanner often primarily involves aspects required to make the scanner function properly and consistently acquire high-quality, artifact-free images. Although this is of critical importance, additional and equally careful planning needs to focus on designing an environment that achieves optimal imaging efficiency and patient safety. A previous article published in this journal [1] discussed several issues related to MR site planning, including the formation of a site-planning team, radiofrequency (RF) shielding, acoustic noise, building vibration, and the 4-zone concept of MR safety. In this article, we focus on additional issues related to efficiency and safety, with discussions of surrounding areas and the layout of the department, design of the scan room, magnetic shielding, and MR safety–related issues.