24 January 2008
Mobile phones could soon be allowed for use in hospitals, due to an innovative new system introduced by a Scottish NHS Trust.
Tagging equipment, allowing medical equipment to be remotely tracked through WiFi technology, has been fitted at Paisley's Royal Alexander Hospital.
This allows staff to quickly locate where the potentially lifesaving kit is located within the hospital - saving them time.
However, an added benefit is that the signal strength of the new equipment is much lower than older machines - and does not interfere with mobile phone signals.
Therefore, if the tracking technology spreads to other healthcare centres, handsets could soon be allowed for use in hospitals.
Speaking to the BBC, Clinical Scientist at the hospital Jason Britton said: "The technology can improve efficiency considerably because it should reduce the amount of time clinical staff spend trying to find portable medical devices.
"Potentially this system can also be used for telephone communications."
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