Questionnaire-based evaluation of mobile phone interference with medical-electrical equipment in Swedish hospitals

• Published in: Technology and health care Vol. 25; no. 4; pp. 791 - 796
• Main Authors: Wiinberg, Stig, Samuelsson, Göran, Larsson, Stefan, Nilsson, Barbro, Jönsson, Patrik X, Ivarsson, Bodil, Olofsson, Per-Åke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands IOS Press BV 01.01.2017
• Subjects: Cell Phone - instrumentation; Cell phones; cellular phone; Cellular telephones; Electric equipment; Electrical equipment; Electromagnetic Fields; Equipment and Supplies, Hospital; Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy; Health Sciences; Hospitals; Hospitals - standards; Humans; Hälso- och sjukvårdsorganisation, hälsopolitik och hälsoekonomi; Hälsovetenskap; Medical and Health Sciences; Medical devices; Medical equipment; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; mobile phone; patient safety; Safety; safety distance; Sweden; Sweden; safety distance; cellular phone; Medical devices; patient safety; mobile phone
• ISSN: 0928-7329; 1878-7401
• DOI: 10.3233/THC-170810

National recommendations in Sweden recommend a safety distance of 3 meter (m) between mobile phones and medical-electrical (ME) equipment in hospitals. A questionnaire was used to investigate how often mobile phones were reported to interfere with ME products in clinical practice across Sweden. The results confirmed that ME equipment can be affected by mobile phone use but, the risk of the patient's outcome being affected were minimal; no cases were identified which led to injury or death. In conclusion, the results support recommendations for a general safety distance of 0.5 m between mobile phones and ME equipment in care environments.