Cell phone use in hospitals reduces medical errors because communication is timelier, and electronic magnetic interference is rare, researchers at the Yale School of Medicine reported this month, the Akron Beacon Journal reports.
The study, which is published in the February issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, surveyed more than 4,000 anesthesiologists to determine whether cell phone use by medical personnel improves safety. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed use pagers as their primary mode of communication while 17% said they use cell phones, the Beacon Journal reports. The researchers found that 40% of pager users reported delays in communication, compared with 31% of cell phone users.
This came out a few months ago, but I just found it the other day. A few years back, this would be heresy. All the hospitals I go to have those "no cellphone" signs at every entrance, and outside every unit. Was this ever based on anything, or just fear of liability? The benefits of timely communication between doctors, nurses, and other personnel are going to far outweigh the theoretical risks of anything. I used a cell phone next to all kinds of computer equipment and never had any issues. Perhaps research like this will change attitudes, and policy.
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2 comments:
My understanding is the fear of interference with the wireless heart moitoing equipment was the issue.
Never really been documented. Anecdotally, I've seen plenty of cell phone use around the hospital, and I haven't seen any equipment issues.
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