A recent study conducted at the Mayo Clinic has disproven the notion that cell phones disrupt hospital machinery. The study, published in the March issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, involved 300 tests over a five-month period and found no noticeable interference with patient care equipment. Researchers used two different cellular phones and 192 medical devices during the tests, which were conducted at the Mayo Clinic campus in Rochester.
The study’s authors are urging hospitals to reconsider their bans on cell phone use in light of these findings. They argue that such bans inconvenience patients and their families, forcing them to leave the hospital to make phone calls. Mayo Clinic leaders are already reviewing the facility’s cell phone ban as a result of this study.
This recent research supports previous studies that also found minimal interaction between cell phones and health care equipment. The authors believe that these findings further reinforce the safety of cell phone use in hospitals.
Despite the study’s results, some people still argue that cell phones should be turned off in hospitals to avoid general annoyance. However, it appears that concerns over interference with equipment are unfounded.
