I know we have discussed this before but here is an interesting letter from
Ara Darzi et al (Professor Sir Ara Darzi now, my first SHO to have received
a knighthood !) in this week's lancet supporting mobile phone usage in
hospitals: I wonder if we are suboptimally using this technology in
Emergency Departments ?
Sir--Hospitals in the UK have had a ban on mobile phone (cell phone) use on
their premises since the early 1990s. This ban was prompted by a warning
issued by the UK Medical Devices Agency highlighting the possible risks of
mobile phones inadvertently interfering with medical equipment. However,
there are, we believe, at least three good reasons to review the current
position.
First, almost 10 years after the ban's introduction, there remains an
absence of evidence of any real risk to patients' safety. Although a few
studies provide some support for the current policy,1,2 most investigators
have been more sceptical about the actual risk posed. In a 6-month survey of
mobile phone interference in a hospital ward, Hietanen and colleagues3 found
no evidence of equipment failures. Irnich and Tobisch4 tested medical
devices used in intensive care units for electromagnetic interference from
mobile phones, and concluded that "prohibition of mobile phones in hospitals
is based not on real evidence, but on an intellectual and precautionary
impression without knowledge of susceptibility of the devices". They further
argue that "prohibition of mobile phones in patient wards is not justifiable
in terms of patient safety".
Second, mobile phones have evolved greatly since the ban was introduced.
Evidence suggests that Digital Global System Mobile (GSM) phones currently
in use interfere less with medical devices than did their analogue
predecessors.3 In light of these technological developments, some groups
have suggested that mobile phones may be used even in areas with many
instruments, such as critical care units, provided that a separation of at
least 1 m is maintained from medical devices.5
Third, the reality is that mobile phones are used in hospitals by patients,
their relatives, and medical staff. At present, even when on hospital
premises, many consultants prefer to be contacted by mobile phone. Some
hospitals have issued specialist registrars with mobile phones so that they
can be contacted directly by general practitioners. Furthermore, in our
experience, mobile phones are frequently left on in operating theatres,
where much potentially vulnerable equipment is in use.
Although mobile phones have not officially been integrated into hospital
life, they have become an essential communication tool for modern society;
figures from the UK Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) show that 80% of
households own at least one. Thus, any ban is likely to prove difficult to
enforce.
The absence of any real evidence of risk to patients' safety, coupled with
advances in handheld technology, should cause hospital trusts and their
advisory bodies to reappraise the current restriction against mobile phone
use in hospitals.
*Omer Aziz, Aziz Sheikh, Paraskevas Paraskeva, Ara Darzi
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*Flat R, 11 Westbourne Terrace, London W2 3UL, UK (OA); Department of Public
Health Sciences, St George's Hospital Medical School, London (AS);
Department of Surgical Oncology and Technology, Imperial College of Science
Technology and Medicine, London (PP, AD) (e-mail:[log in to unmask])
1 Barbaro V, Bertolini P, Benassi M, DiNallo AM, Reali L, Valsecchi S.
Electromagnetic interference by GSM cellular phones and UHF radios with
intensive-care and operating-room ventilators. Biomed Instrum Technol 2000;
34: 361-69.
2 Clifford KJ, Joyner KH, Stroud DB, Wood M, Ward B, Fernandez CH. Mobile
telephones interfere with medical electrical equipment. Australas Phys Eng
Sci Med 1994; 17: 23-27. [PubMed]
3 Hietanen M, Sibakov V, Hallfors S, von Nandelstadh P. Safe use of mobile
phones in hospitals. Health Phys 2000; 79: S77-84.
4 Irnich WE, Tobisch R. Mobile phones in hospitals. Biomed Instrum Technol
1999; 33: 28-34.
5 Anon. Cell phones and walkie-talkies: is it time to relax your restrictive
policies? Health Devices 1999; 28: 409-13.
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