Upgrading Hospital Medical Equipment Can Prevent Electromagnetic Interference
Wireless technology is more prevalent today in hospitals than it ever was before and hospital personnel are quickly realizing that electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency (RF) can adversely affect various types of medical equipment that is commonly utilized in hospitals and increase the hospital’s liability. Therefore, wireless communication devices, that are routinely used in hospitals, such as Bluetooth, laptop computers, tablets, pagers, cell phones, and two-way radios have become a valid concern in the medical field due to the fact that they can pose many problems, including misdiagnosis, which inevitably leads to improper treatment and can cause patient injury.
In the early stages of wireless technology, cell phones were the primary concern of interference with specific types of medical equipment. Initially, cellular phones were operated on an analog system which used extensive radio frequency outputs. This system caused certain types of medical equipment, such as cardiac pacemakers, anesthesia equipment, and electric wheelchairs to be extremely vulnerable to interference. When wireless technology was relatively new and not commonly used in medical equipment, this particular issue was easily resolved by asking visitors and staff to refrain from cell phone use while they were in the hospital.
However, today, with the widespread use of portable medical equipment devices that are being used to treat patients, it is more difficult to avoid some type of interference. Consequently, technology is continuously evolving to design standards for medical equipment that incorporate more advanced systems that will ultimately provide intense protection from electromagnetic fields. A common solution to the problem is to shield certain devices in plastic or metal boxes and paint them with a protective coating. In addition to shielding, other typical RF immunization strategies include the grounding and filtering of devices.
The American Medical Association (AMA) strongly recommends that medical treatment facilities replace older medical equipment with newer medical equipment since the older devices were constructed with a type of shielding that operates inadequately when exposed to EMI. Fortunately, these techniques are both beneficial and cost effective when they are incorporated into the initial manufacturing of the medical equipment.