 We recommend that mobile phones are not used in critical care areas such as intensive therapy units (ITU), special care baby units (SCBU) or where patients are attached to complex devices, as any effect on such equipment could be extremely detrimental to patient care |
| MHRA spokesperson | Although the Government has stated that the current ban on the use of mobile phones in hospitals can be relaxed, a recent study published in the journal Critical Care suggests that this could be dangerous in high dependency areas.
In this study, 61 different medical devices were tested, and the majority could be affected by the presence of a mobile phone. Of particular concern, seven out of nine intensive care ventilators were found to be "influenced" by mobile phones, most of which involved a direct physical influence on the patient. In addition, seven out of 13 critical care monitors were found to be disrupted by mobile signals, and three out of seven syringe pumps were affected. Other devices affected were dialysis machines, external pacemaker machines, feeding pumps and even air humidifiers.
The study found that "3G" mobile phones were less likely to cause problems than were second generation mobiles, and although, on average, the phone had to be only a few centimetres away to interfere with the device, one "hazardous" incident occurred at a distance of 3 metres.
| If new evidence comes out, we will look at it, but doctors say that it can be very useful to them to make and receive work-related calls this way |
| BMA spokesperson | The researchers said:
"The policy to keep mobile phones 1 metre from the critical care bedside seems warranted."
The advice from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) states that mobiles should be kept out of areas with sensitive medical equipment. A spokesman said:
"We recommend that mobile phones are not used in critical care areas such as intensive therapy units (ITU), special care baby units (SCBU) or where patients are attached to complex devices, as any effect on such equipment could be extremely detrimental to patient care".
As a result of these concerns, many trusts in the UK completely banned the use of mobile phones in hospitals, although patient groups and many doctors have recently been campaigning for a reversal of this policy, and earlier this year, junior Health Minister Andy Burnham said that hospitals could relax these rules. Many trusts have now done so, although some have kept the ban, fearing a breach in patient privacy by the use of camera phones.
The BMA has maintained that there is no significant evidence associating mobile phones with interference with medical devices, and said that it would be beneficial for patients if doctors were able to communicate better with colleagues while on the wards.
A spokesman said:
"If new evidence comes out, we will look at it, but doctors say that it can be very useful to them to make and receive work-related calls this way".
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