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Table 3 Examples of participants’ responses to the question “Did you feel it beneficial, neutral or harmful to your health to take part in the Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds (CAHHM) and have the MRI scan?”

From: The impact of reporting magnetic resonance imaging incidental findings in the Canadian alliance for healthy hearts and minds cohort

Response to question

Specific comments

Beneficial

Assurance that there are no major health problems at this level

Beneficial

At the psychological level, a personal security and a feeling of being able to help advance science

Beneficial

I became aware of some of my lifestyle habits

Beneficial

I feel reassured

Beneficial

I realized I needed to lose some weight… which is very positive…

Beneficial

Increased awareness of taking care of my mental and physical health

Beneficial

Reassuring that there were no major problems

Beneficial

MRI detected a thyroid problem that I can now treat and monitor

Beneficial

A mass has been detected, fortunately this is of no consequence (at least for the moment)

Beneficial

Possibility to have an MRI

Beneficial

Finding out nothing is wrong healthwise

Beneficial

It provides any medically significant finding so as to enable necessary follow-up

Beneficial

You didn't call me back, so everything was fine!

Harmful

I didn't like being in that machine too long on the inside.

Harmful

I found out I'm claustrophobic

Harmful

Stressful noise

Harmful

Headaches and dizziness more often

Harmful

How do you expect me to know? I haven't had any results from that magnetic resonance. I would have liked to have had more information on that test

Harmful

The next year I was diagnosed with breast cancer

Harmful

Harmful is not the right word, but there were consequences, as I was found to have a mass in the fourth ventricle of the brain which turned out to be an ependymoma and is under surveillance

Harmful

Because the MRI result didn't reveal that I have cancer in the left lung until I had a CT Scan a few days after the MRI