EBME Forums Forums Management Medical Equipment Management Mobile Phones

Hope the Missus is OK now, Tel. But the moral of the story surely must be:- carving the turkey is a job for the man of the house!

PS: any Plod in evidence at the A&E?

Hi Geoff

Wasn't the turkey carving that did it -- she went to grab a falling glass from the cupboard -- perfectly timed as she grabbed it just as it smashed against the door. Tendon was wiggling about like an albino earthworm .
7 weeks off work plus a further six of light duties. Guess whose doing ALL the domestic tasks now?

As for Plod in A & E -- one poor soul on duty with radio back up!

Also the ex-Army charge nurse was just finishing a 14 hour shift.

Condolences all round, then.

I do know what you mean about my spelling Geoff but not which words I spelt wrong, my spelling is that bad. All the computer sytems here at the Royal Free have been down for the whole morning internet, clinical med elec data base every thing. Phrahaps Ned wasn't such an idiot after all, and we shouldn't reley so much on technology.

Yes, how many could survive for long these days if (when) the power goes down?

In fact, I have come to re-consider my own position regarding web-based systems. I now believe that it's far more prudent to stick to stand-alone systems (for departmental databases, etc.) and simply use the web for communication only. You can survive missing a day or two of (even) this forum, but without your database you may not be able to carry on working.

Does not over (total) dependency on technology make us vulnerable? What happens when the cell phone networks go down, the street lights go out, the Sat-Nav satellites get switched off etc., etc.? OK, so the internet was developed from a military system with build-in redundancy, re-routing capabilities, and all the rest. But that was then ... how about now?

PS: perhaps it's time to stock up on tinned Baked Beans ... they're just as good when eaten cold, you know. Come to think of it, now that any money sitting in the bank is actually loosing its value, I think I'll go out and buy a truck-load of canned food! Then stash it all away in a secret location next to my 100 watt light bulbs!

What are you going to use the bulbs for if the power is off Geoff? Or do you have a secret generator stashed away somewhere?

Anyway, back on topic. A lot of equipment seems to have the 'Do not use within x distance' because of historical reasons and litigation issues. Now most phones are digital, it seems to be the two-way radios that are the problem now as they can still be analogue. As for use within a hospital, lots of nurses seem to have their phone on silent in their pocket.
I think the general problem with phones is how some people can be very rude and ignore the person trying to talk to them in favour of answering the phone, just ask the checkout operator the next time you are at the supermarket. Now imagine that person is trying to help a patient but can't because the patient or relative is talking on the phone 1 metre away. For this reason mobile phones should stay banned in the clinical enviroment, whether they affect equipment or not.
Which is a bit rich as mine is usually on, unless I am working in a ICU bed space. I wouldn't answer it there, so it might as well be off!

In response to the first part of your post, Mark:- it's a secret.

And in response to the rest ... I agree!

When I was an in-patient at the Queen Mum's maternity hospital here in Glasgow last year, I used my cell (oops--mobile) pretty often. As my folks were back in the States, I wasn't going to use hospital phones to call. While on the phone one day, the battleaxe of a nursing aux came in and nastily told me to get off the phone. I told her my situation (hormonal, away from family), to which she tried to explain to me the damage I was going to cause to the equipment. After informing her that I had a clue or two about medical equipment, I snapped and told here that there was no way in hell that my mobile phone was going to interrupt the operation of a breast pump in the hallway and a Dinamap 100! I'd say blame the hormones, but truth is she was a vile woman to have working in that capacity. If she had acted with some decorum, I wouldn't have been snarky with her.
Anyways, rant over. My feeling on the mobile thing is that it's not as big a deal as it once may have been. I've had one suspected incident with interference with a syringe pump in ITU, and it could've easily been interference with another piece of equipment, as several things were in immediate vicinity. I'd say let them be used in regular wards, op clinics, and common areas and keep them out of critical care wards, A & E, theatres, and neurophysio (EEG/EMG) wards/clinics.

Public Area - A place where there is no patient

Critical Area - A place where there is critical ill patients around like the ICU, HD, Renal Unit, Operating Theatre, etc.

Walkie Talkie is way too strong for a medical device to be immuned to the interference.