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Singapore Hospital may allow use of mobile phones
Tan Tock Seng Hospital may allow mobile phones to be used around the hospital - even in operating theatres, reports Channel News Asia. "This follows a pilot study which found that communication within the hospital using mobile phones is safe, and increases efficiency. The hospital ran a trial in July and found that on average, it takes four minutes before a doctor returns the page. The delay is due to the doctor being held up in the wards or because he could not get through the phone lines when he finally finds time to return the page. The hospital estimates that over an hour, or some 86 minutes, are wasted on such inefficient communication. So the hospital started a trial in its general surgery department. 500 nurses used the computer system to send messages to some 40 doctors' mobile phones. The doctor can choose to SMS, or call back. The result - immediate response that could be a decision between life and death. Besides improving staff communication and efficiency, the results also showed it is safe to use mobile phones in the hospital. Latest studies show only 4 percent of medical devices, mainly monitors and ECG equipment, are affected when a mobile phone is in use at one metre away. Even the more sensitive devices like the pacemaker is only affected when the mobile phone is used within 10 centimetres of it Related articles: -- Hospital mobile phone laws relax - UK Hospital could lift bans on mobile phone use following updated guidance by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency -- Hospital to permit cell phone usage - Fukuoka's Kyushu University Hospital says that it has started permitting patients to use their cellphones while in hospital. |
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