TopBanana

BBC NEWS | Health | Hospital mobile bans can be eased

About time too.

Matteeboy

I was allowed to use mine when Mrs Matt had her baby.
Only place that banned them was the scanning department.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Its been pretty relaxed over the past years anyway - when I was last in, there were patients using mobile phones from their beds!

TelBoy

Am i right in saying that they were never really a risk? Or are the bans in aeroplanes and petrol stations still valid? Isn't it something to do with a miniscule spark internally when a call is received or something? Has a petrol station ever gone up in flames or a plane brought to the ground because of a mobile phone?

Matteeboy

I ignore the petrol station ban. Very daft.

EddScott

My wife spent a few days in hospital over xmas having her appendix out and the chap in the next room was never off his mobile. Some older dear in another room kept belling the nurse everytime he started using it to complain.

Nurse didn't seem too worried.

Snazy

Yup mum was allowed hers on her ward when she was in. All the signs are still up though so its very confusing.
Usually see doctors etc all using theirs.

Which is a good thing. Finally patients dont have to pay £5 a minute for phone calls and can stay in touch with family.

Mate was also allowed to use a broadband 3G dongle while in Guys

mannyo

My dads recently got out of hospital, and was free to use his mobile as he pleased when on the main wards. The only place the ban remained in place was intensive care (where he spent 2 weeks) due to the sensitive equipment.

bugeyeandy

Not yet

TopBanana

Yes - I think the hospital ban has more to do with the rip-off machines you get by the beds. Some sensitive equipment is susceptible to interference apparently, but only from nearby phones. Doctors have been using their mobiles in hospitals for years.

I think with planes it has more to do with overloading the network. Because you have line-of-sight to potentially thousands of cells, and each one registers the phone. As I understand it, they now provide a cell on the plane itself which prevents the phone from boosting its power and talking to the ground.

Snazy

Wierd bit about planes is im sure you are allowed to use them on domestic USA flights... Could be totally wrong though.

GC8

The risk from RF igniting petroleum vapour in a petrol station is very real. Whether its likely from the antenna of a cellular phone is debatable, but it is perfectly possible.

I have seen a person receive a very nasty RF burn from a 4w radio antenna: this isnt any more powerful than a digital hand help phone can be, or an analogue car-mounted cellular phone was...