Cell phones in hospitals cause no harm

In a study published in the March issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, researchers say normal use of cell phones results in no noticeable interference with patient care equipment. Three hundred tests were performed over a five-month period in 2006, without a single problem incurred.

Involved in the study were two cellular phones which used different technologies from different carriers and 192 medical devices. Tests were performed at Mayo Clinic campus in Rochester.

The study's authors say the findings should prompt hospitals to alter or abandon their bans on cell phone use.
Cell phone bans inconvenience patients and their families who must exit hospitals to place calls, the study's authors say.

The latest study revisits two earlier studies that were done 'in vitro' (i.e., the equipment wasn't connected to the patients), which also found minimal interaction from cell phones used in health care facilities. The latest study bolsters the notion that cells phones are safe to use in hospitals.

This study is designed to combat the superstitions of hospital administrators to disallow cell phones in hospital premises.

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