EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Technical Assistance Mobile Phones Interference with Medical Device?

better check your device's manual regarding RF interference, I think almost all manufacturers specify the effect of different RF bands and the required separation distance for machines which are prone to error due to these frequencies...

There's no need to check manuals ... that isn't going to alter the Laws of Physics one iota.

Of course the potential for interference exists, and our "airways" are already pretty well saturated with electro-magnetic noise. Take a look at the frequency spectrum for all the technologies concerned. But the solution in this case is simply to keep mobile phones well away from medical devices. In short, why take the risk of causing something untoward to occur?

I should imagine that what Karl was really wondering about was (is):- Policy.

OK ... here it is:- what possible excuse can anyone have for having an enabled (that is, switched on) mobile phone in the vicinity of critical medical equipment? Answer:- none at all.

Policy? If folk lack the discipline to turn off their toys (or tend to "forget" to do so) they should be surrendered at the entrances to places like the ICU ... etc.

@Alex666: more information required! For instance, where was the phone positioned? And what generation of (phone) technology is (was) being used?

Mobile/Cell phones can & do interfere with medical equipment - see: http://www.epocrates.com/dacc/1106/iPhoneECGbmj1106.pdf - but trying to police their use in clinical areas is considered too controversial to implement. Instead the policy for their use in our Trust opens with “Please do not use mobile phones in any clinical areas within the hospital” Staff, patients & visitors are equally guilty & apart from the unforeseen consequences of interference they are an unneccessary distraction.

Policy without enforcement is just an exercise in wishful thinking ... and (rather like the unenforced law "prohibiting" driving with a mobile phone held to the ear) just serves to p**s off everyone else!

Please go to your Trust and suggest that they add a line about a £ 100 fine ... then actually carry that through (or better still, confiscation of the phone). Perhaps then we may start to see some better behaviour.

I was in a ward in a hopsital before a month (as a patient relative) and excused myself to use a mobile phone just to be told by clinical staff that mobile phones were allowed there.

That's completely opposite to what we all are talking here.

"down under" there seems to be a fairly well accepted rule, "no mobile phone use within 2m of patient connected equipment". This is enforced within the clinical areas so, much more seriously imposed within an ICU than in a general ward area for example. This gives some variation such that, in a general ward it may be quite ok to use a phone but not else where. It is up to the staff to impose the rule for their area but they are given the authority to "get up people" if they need to. Most ICU/CCU/ED staff are quite strong enough to set rules if they need to.
The main "perps" however are the consultants and who is going to tell them off?!

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/2146.aspx?categoryid=68&subcategoryid=162

Seems like commonsense guidance

Ummm ... the biomed?

@Tejas: that's probably just the staff making it easier for themselves.

@Sean: Yes. If that's the Policy (and it looks OK to me), then surely everyone throughout the NHS should follow it. I notice that it mentions cameras as well. So what about all that (patient confidentiality and all the rest)?*

* Not to mention a bit of piece of quiet for everyone else. Yes, there are far too many selfish [censored] about, sadly.

Our new theatre areas has the best policy - no mobiles pick up a signal in there so can't be used. One or two consultants are bitching already and it hasn't been open for much more than a month.
People would probably be more concerned about cameras on phones rather than the effect on equipment.