Vida Scheduling Policy update - 3/7/2022

Dear Vida Users,

As of May 1st 2022, the booking policy of the Vida will be adjusted slightly. From that date forward the Vida will be bookable in 15 minute increments, with a minimum scan time of 30 minutes. This will align the booking policy of the Vida with that of the Skyra and should result in a more efficient use of scan time for all of our users with fewer gaps in the schedule

In order to maximize available scanner time, booking etiquette is to book your slot on the hour or 1/2 hour and to abut your session to a slot that is already booked. Under the Comments section, please note the Study ID, L2 scanner operator and L1 assistant.

Session overruns: the BIC policy regarding this is as follows:

Scan overruns are an inevitable part of running studies on the scanner, so a limited amount of delay is unavoidable from time to time. However, in order to prevent significant overruns into other groups’ time BIC / UTHA have established that if a session will be more than 20min late in starting the session should be cancelled and re-scheduled, unless there is an available slot after your session that can be used as buffer time. Please also book out the additional buffer time in FBS, since many clinical scans are booked at short notice. 

If, the session preceding yours is running behind inquire politely about when they might finish. If this becomes > 15 min late, please let the BIC staff know and we will contact the group at the console. Unless there are exceptional extenuating circumstances, BIC will ask them to halt their scan and vacate the system.

Session naming convention:

Apart from multi-site trials which typically have their own naming convention, the Patient Surname and Study ID should be named as follows:

<PI name> – <Study ID> – <Participant ID> . <Session Number>

e.g.        Befroy-sLASER-010.02

If necessary, you can insert an additional tag e.g. to denote an intervention between the Participant ID and Session Number. This scheme simplifies the data archiving process and makes it possible for BIC to track data by research group. Remember that all research data can now be archived directly to the BIC_PACS via a network transfer.

Post-scan cleanup

Finally, with many more users on the system, please stay on top of our safety, cleaning and logistical protocols: Equipment should be wiped down and put away after use, including wiping down the keyboard and mouse of the host and peripherals. Wash away any fluids put in the sink and put dirty linen in the laundry bags in the Vida control room and Changing Room 1. Please check the changing room after your participant exits and if the laundry bag is full (about 3” from the top of the hamper) move it to the Used Linen room and replace the bag with an empty from the Clean Linen room.

Best wishes,

The BIC Team