Protection of sensitive patient-connected medical devices from the subversive use of mobile telecommunication equipment.
The UK Department of Health has recently advised caution with respect to the uncontrolled use of private mobile telecommunication equipment in designated sensitive hospital areas. This advice, which has clear implications for patient safety and well being, was issued following reports of the interference of automatic drug delivery devices, infusion pumps and other sensitive systems. The difficulty of monitoring relatives, visitors and, occasionally, staff who use such mobile telephones in the sensitive areas has led to an initiative by The Princess Margaret Hospital to automatically and continuously monitor the frequencies used by the mobile telephones and to initiate an alarm should such phones be used within a designated area. This paper describes a protocol for the use of these monitors developed in the Princess Margaret Hospital which is designed to minimize the number of monitoring units while providing optimum departmental cover.
Sperrin
M
M
Department of Medical Physics, Princess Margaret Hospital, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK.
Davies
A
A
Smith
R
R
Burgess
R
R
D016477:Artifacts; D004867:Equipment Design; D004864:Equipment and Supplies; D004865:Equipment and Supplies, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D012449:Safety; D013685:Telecommunications