How do mobile phones affect electromedical devices?
Glenister H · 1998
View Original AbstractMobile phones can interfere with critical medical equipment, leading hospitals to ban wireless devices in operating rooms and intensive care areas.
Plain English Summary
Researchers from the UK's Medical Devices Agency investigated how mobile phones and other wireless communication devices interfere with medical equipment in hospitals. They found that emergency services' radio handsets caused the most interference with sensitive medical devices. The study led to recommendations that cell phones be turned off in operating rooms, treatment areas, and at patients' bedsides where critical medical equipment is in use.
Why This Matters
This 1998 study represents early recognition of a critical safety issue that remains relevant today. The finding that wireless devices can interfere with life-saving medical equipment demonstrates how electromagnetic fields don't just potentially affect biological systems - they can disrupt the electronic systems we depend on for healthcare. What makes this particularly significant is that modern hospitals are now saturated with far more wireless devices than existed in 1998, from smartphones to tablets to wireless monitoring systems. The Medical Devices Agency's recommendation to switch off phones in critical care areas acknowledges that EMF interference isn't theoretical - it's a documented phenomenon with real-world consequences for patient safety.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
The aim of this study is to investigate How do mobile phones affect electromedical devices
A study of different devices by the Medical Devices Agency showed that emergency services' radio han...
Show BibTeX
@article{h_1998_how_do_mobile_phones_2114,
author = {Glenister H},
title = {How do mobile phones affect electromedical devices?},
year = {1998},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9615660/},
}