Smartphones and Hospitals

June 27, 2017 5:34 AM

Can anyone provide links to news stories reporting any negative impacts experienced as a result of the use of smartphones (by either medical staff or patients/families) in a hospital/medical setting?
posted by joelhunt to Technology (3 answers total)

Not a news report, but some studies have been done on use of smartphones in hospitals. In the particular study I've linked to, house staff generally feel that smartphones can be a distraction and that use guidelines would be beneficial, but it seems like almost everybody uses them. I know I have at least five to ten medicine-related apps on mine, and it's really helpful (and safer for my patients) that I have a reference to double-check dosing and medication interactions, etc. Some residency programs even give everyone iPads for use in the hospital, and my program paid for smartphones as well.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 5:49 AM on June 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

Also no news reports, but:

For a while early in the mobile phone era, there were signs at the entrances of hospitals and other medical establishments asking people to turn off their phones, presumably on the basis that the electromagnetic output of the phones could interfere with medical equipment. (Similarly, generally still enforced, on airplanes.) A 2008 study documented some interference with a syringe pump, if the cell phone was within a foot of it. That study lists two documented cases:

There are two incidents reported, one leading to the patient's death due to the respirator being shut off and the other being acute epinephrine poisoning with mobile phone use in the vicinity of the medical device. Acute epinephrine poisoning was reported in an 18-year-old man treated with epinephrine infusion (22 mg in 50 ml D5W) admitted for septic shock with unstable vitals. Few hours after titration of the drug, the patient complained of signs and symptoms of catecholamine excess. Later, the hospital investigating team found out that it was due to use of mobile phone in the vicinity of syringe pump triggering its malfunction.

A more recent study reviewing all the available literature concluded that while the old 2G phones did cause some interference, the effects are much less with 3G and 4G phones, which includes most current "smartphones". That study concludes:

There does not appear to be cause for concern due to the negative studies, and generally, you have to put a cell phone very close to a device to cause interference (which may or may not pose a safety risk).

posted by beagle at 7:31 AM on June 27, 2017 [3 favorites]

One issue is that your phone and everyone's phone is absolutely filthy and you should clean it. My hospital is rolling out improved phone cleaning stations with alcohol wipes designed for phones and tablets etc. to try to reduce the infection risk they pose.
posted by MadamM at 6:59 PM on June 27, 2017 [1 favorite]