mobile phones in hospital

[corkydog]

What is the legal stance of using a mobile phone in a hospital as a patient. Yes taking into account having the phone on silent not shouting into it to be a nuisance to others. Doctors, nurses and porters are all contacted routinely by mobile phone or pagers. Doctors will be the first to admit that they don't interfere with medical equipment. So what legally can a hospital do to stop a patient using a mobile phone whilst on a ward for example.

[laurence2]

How about the privacy factor first and foremost.

My wife is a nurse, and mobile phones are banned at their hospital, as for doctors and nurses, contacting them via a mobile or pager in an emergency is fine by me.

Ps, who told you that doctors will be the first to admit they don't interfere with medical equipment?

Am i assuming that you have been told you cannot use your mobile at the hospital?

[corkydog]

The doctors themselves my wife works as a nurse and they even use them in the operation theatres

[laurence2]

My wife said that its not a legal thing, most if not all hospitals have it as their ''policy''

[kempie]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6449557.stm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles /health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=410125&i n_page_id=1774

[laurence2]

obviously with mobile technology these days ie recording devices, Video cameras etc, this could be an issue, meaning patient confidentialality as well as filming staff or hospital equipment, i'm referring to the criminal element of society.

[almcd007]

Spoke to a heart surgeon once who had been on a course that told him it was all a myth. Extensive tests were done and there was no evidence it interefered with any instruments.

They started to ask you not to use them before the research was done as a precaution.

[JRB]

I recently had a 2 week stay in hospital and everyone used their mobiles with no problems at all. The telephone service suppled by the hospital charged exorbitant amounts.

[cascarelli]

Each hospital is allowed to have its own policy on this, some allow mobile phones while others dont.

I dont see a problem so long as they are used responsibly.

[funnygirl]

I think it is just a money making project for the hospital concerned.
They have got to get their income somewhere, just like hospital parking. Exorbitant fees aren't they?

[teag1rl]

As suggested above. I expect the extortionate private companies that hospitals get in to run the patient phones/tv's etc have a contract with hospital stating they must ban use of mobiles or something similar.

[anjunagirl]

I work on the switchboard of a large A&E hospital and I can tell you that most senior doctors/registrars/consultants can be reached on their mobiles whilst in the hospital, in fact they call to tell us to use their mobiles rather than bleeps. Our hospital allows everyone including the public to use their mobiles but only in public areas such as corridors, waiting rooms etc., not to be used on the wards or A&E assessment area, although I'm not clear whether the public at large know this ...!

[meltoadhall]

hi thanks all I know this is a controversial subject but how legal is a hospital policy if someone was to use a mobile whilst in a public area in the hospital if the hospital say no?

[Carol Anne]

We have a policy of no mobiles in the hospital . This has been in place for about 18 years, although staff, doctors and contractors use them. If I know a patient on the ward has a phone and is using it discretly then I turn a blind eye. However ringtones and loud conversations which are tolerated on the ward patient phones and not on mobiles. Seems such a stupid rule.