Why cant you use cell phones in a hospital?

Answer 1

Here's an example:

if you laugh at someone for always going places with their hand sanitizer with them, well you might want to rethink that. germs are everywhere. even on cellphones. by bringing those cellphones into a hospital, you could make someone seriously ill.

Answer 2

Cell phones transmit energy that carries your voice through space. Energy that passes through a conducted (copper wire) generates electrical current. That current can affect electronic equipment if it is not shielded and/or properly grounded.

The concern over the use of cell phones evolved from the 1980's when the use of cell phones was first becoming common. The transmitted electrical energy called electromagnetic interference (EMI). Various regulatory agencies, in particular the FDA, required medical device manufacturer's to design protective circuits to prevent or minimize the effect of EMI. The majority of medical technologies are now protected, but there still are a few that are very sensitive. Some medical devices, such as respirators and electroencephalograms (EEG), are still sensitive to the effects of EMI.

If you are visiting a patient in the hospital, you should ask the nurse if it is acceptable to use a cell phone. If your loved one is in critical condition and on a respirator, assume that you should not use your cell phone and turn it off. Cell phones send out a signal every few minutes that could cause EMI.

Clinical Engineers and Nurses can review the Service Manuals or User Manuals for the equipment's sensitivity to EMI. The FDA has required that device manufacturers that cannot take advantage of filter circuits to publish a warning in these manuals. If there is no warning, then the medical device should not be effected by EMI. Be aware that the ECRI Institute is not recommending the use of cell phones everywhere within the hospital. The distance that a cell phone could be used safely relative to a medical device is about 3 feet (based on the wave length) and 6 feet for two-way radios. I would not recommend allowing wireless broadcasting TV cameras near critical care areas.

Answer 3

There is a concern that the signal from the cell phone will interfere with sensitive hospital equipment and thus endanger the patient's life.