Chinese children's hospital gives CT room an ocean theme

Patients often refer to it as "scanxiety," the fear that comes from being enclosed in a CT scanning machine. For some, especially children, such confined space is terrifying.

A children's hospital in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, has tried to address the issue by decorating its CT room with ocean features.

The walls have been painted a soothing sea-blue, and lifelike pictures of whales, turtles and dolphins are dotted on the walls and scanning machines.

"It used to be very difficult to get a kid on the scanning machine. They would do everything to avoid the examination," said Gao Bing, a radiologist at the hospital. "But not any more. If there is a distraction or something to look at, it just calms your spirit. Now I enjoy working with kids, and our CT room has become the most popular one among different hospitals."

"I really appreciate that the hospital is trying to make the experience better for children. It eases our stress too," said a parent surnamed Liu.