cell phoneLast year in February, I reported on a Singaporean hospital’s conclusion that mobile phones posed no significant risk to medical equipment. That same month, clinical and telecommunications researchers at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota) began a four-month study to evaluate for interference by cellular phones on medical equipment. After 300 tests on 192 medical devices, the researchers published their conclusions in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings (March 2007):

Although cellular telephone use in general has been prohibited in hospitals because of concerns that these telephones would interfere with medical devices, this study revealed that when cellular telephones are used in a normal way no noticeable interference or interactions occurred with the medical devices (emphasis added).

Interestingly, the same group published two similar studies in 2001 and 2005. Their earlier conclusions were less direct, noting possible interference from mobile phone use. In the 2001 study, they discovered that cell phones caused interference in 55% of the tests, affecting 41% (7/17) of the medical devices. The interference was considered clinically relevant 7.4% of the time, comprising “interference that may hinder interpretation of the data or cause the equipment to malfunction.” The 2005 study showed more promising results. While the number of devices affected remained constant at 44% (7/16), the incidence of clinically important interference dropped to 1.2%. This year, the incidence is reported at 0%.

Newer cell phone models presumably emit less electromagnetic interference (EMI), explaining the progressive decline in interference found among the three studies. The results are not novel, but they bolster the current belief that cell phone use is acceptable in hospitals. In fact, I have noticed a higher density of newfangled Motorola Razrs® and Palm Treos® in hospitals than in any community setting. I also know several physicians who have traded their antiquated pagers for the PDA-pager-phone-Batman buckle combos.

  • Sources
  • Tri JL, Severson RP, Firl AR, Hayes DL, Abenstein JP. Cellular telephone interference with medical equipment. Mayo Clin Proc 2005;80:1286-90.
  • Tri JL, Severson RP, Hyberger LK, Hayes DL. Use of cellular telephones in the hospital environment. Mayo Clin Proc 2007;82:282-285.
  • Tri JL, Hayes DL, Smith TT, Severson RP. Cellular phone interference with external cardiopulmonary monitoring devices. Mayo Clin Proc 2001;76:11-5.

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