Mobile phone ban should end, hospitals told

A blanket ban on using mobile phones in hospitals should end, according to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) - and medical staff should even be encouraged to take up wireless technology.

The MHRA has issued guidance saying that "developments in mobile technology", and the need for patents and staff to communicate, mean an outright ban on using mobiles is no longer required.

The MHRA recommends hospitals should consider creating special areas where medical staff and patients could use their mobiles, as well as training hospital workers to spot instances where using a mobile could interfere with medical equipment.

Some technologies that are unlikely to interfere with equipment, like wireless networking, could make their way into hospitals in future, the guidance said.