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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
To enhance the efficiency of internal communications in public hospitals and also bring greater convenience to the public, the Hospital Authority (HA) today (February 26) announced a relaxation of the guidelines for using mobile phones in public hospitals from this month (February 2008). Healthcare workers and members of the public are now allowed to use mobile phones anywhere within a public hospital, except in some designated clinical areas.
In making the announcement, the HA spokesperson said that the new measures have been formulated after careful and thorough consideration and scientific studies. Apart from bringing convenience to the public, the prime objective of the new move is to enhance internal emergency communication among healthcare professionals in the timely provision of urgent service and care to needy patients.
The spokesperson said: "All medical equipment procured after 1994 have complied with the 'electromagnetic compatibility' standard. Hence, the effect of electromagnetic interference should be reduced to a large extent. Before arriving at a decision, we have also conducted thorough Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) tests on the medical equipment, namely ventilators, infusion pumps, defibrillators and anaesthesia machines. The outcome reveals that the use of mobile phones at a distance of one metre from the medical equipment is safe, and the assessment also aligns with other international studies on EMI tests.
"Despite the relaxation on the use of mobile phones in most of the areas in public hospitals, the restriction on their use in some designated clinical areas still remains. These areas include the coronary care unit, delivery suite, electro diagnostic unit, high dependency unit, intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit, operation theatre, resuscitation areas in Accident and Emergency Departments etc. This is mainly to avoid any possible interference to the medical equipment in the units."
To inform the public about the new arrangement, the HA has produced thousands of posters (see attached photo) to be posted at prominent locations of public hospitals. The public are reminded to observe some important precautions while using mobile phones within the hospital premises. For example, users are advised to keep them at a distance of at least one metre from medical equipment to avoid interference. In addition, almost all mobile phones are now equipped with built-in cameras and video recorders. The public are reminded that unauthorised photography or video recording by mobile phones are prohibited to protect personal privacy and confidentiality.
The spokesperson said: "Hospital should be a quiet place for patients to receive medical treatment and rehabilitation. We hope that the public will be considerate to avoid causing nuisance to patients and affecting hospital services while using mobile phones in public hospitals.
Hospital frontline staff have also been informed of the new arrangement. They will seek the public's cooperation in complying with the new guidelines and precautions in using mobile phones in public hospitals.
We will closely monitor the implementation of the new arrangement in the early stage. A review of its effectiveness will be conducted later this year for consideration of further improvement."
Ends/Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:50
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