patientline and cell phones

[cariad]

ok, so tell me how patientline works please?

my mum is in hospital and i would like to call her, but have been advised that local calls cost an arm and a leg so if she bought a calling card then it would hardly sustain the cost for my overseas call.

so how am i supposed to talk to her?

the other interesting question is that cell phone usage is banned in the uk. supposed to interfere with equipment, especially cardiac monitors.

so how come, every patient in the us, bring in their cell phones and plug the charger in by the bedside and uses them constantly. of course they also have phones by their bedside which gives them free local calls, and anybody can ring in and call the patient.

so where is the evidence that cell phones interfere with equipment, and if it does in the uk, how come it doesnt over here?

even every nurse uses their cell phones and every charge nurse carries one, and nowhere in the hospital are they banned.

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

Even though they are "banned" where I work this is not really enforced. I alow my patients to keep thier mobiles on providing they are not disturbing the other patients with loud ringtones or using them at night.

Patient line I am not sure of the costs but I think you are right they are more expensive. Speak to the ward staff and explain, they may let your mum keep a mobile

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Hi

Patientline has been big news lately with costs I believe of 46p a minute to make a call into the hospital. They are also looking at unbanning cell phones except in certain areas. Have seen many doctors with their mobile phones on the wards but guess management need to catch up.

Hope this link helps http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/04/patientline_ups_charges/

[ayla2004, ASN, RN]

mobile are now declared not to interfere with equiment. staff often carry them were i am hlowever due to the noise problem i think we still like patients and vistiors to restrict there use. probaly cause of being nursed in bays

[cybernurse81]

this always makes me laugh, i dont think there is any direct evidence to suggest mobile phones cause interference with hosital equiptment, but we are constantly told to tell patients and families to turn them off, i don't think it has been challenged properly at the hospital i work, im not really sure how ur mum can ring u from her bedside phone, she should contact the patient line team at the hospital she is in and they will be able to help her, but it wont be cheap, it costs, 50p a minute to ring in from another UK phone number and 25p to ring out to anither uk number, as far as calling the US i really can't help u there, patient line phones make more work for me as a nurse as patients are always complaining about them, but it does stop relatives ring the nurses sation all the time blocking the phone lines up. let me know how u get on with that one!

[sofaraway04]

have you tried just calling the main ward number? on my ward we have a portable phone that can be taken to the patient's bedside if they receive a call. Or if your mum is able to walk to the phone at the desk then we would allow the patient to take the call there.

[cariad]

thanks for the advice, but still no further forward, the day shift just want me to arrange to do it though patientline, regardless of cost to my mum, and all the arranging that it would take for her.

the night shift were a bit more agreeable, but she has diarrhoea and they dont want to take the ward phone into the room, which is understandable.

still dont really know what is going on with her, as you know, real information will not be given to me over the phone, and my dad doesnt really understand what they are telling him.

[ayla2004, ASN, RN]

if your mum phones the patientline operator which can be done from her bed she can registered to that terminal for free. this gives her free radio and willget her a personal phone number without her spending any money, you could ring but it is a permium number there was a local tv article a man having a bypass in belfast and the cost his daughter paid to phone him as she lived in the irish republic 60miles away.

[RGN1]

OOPs! Double post - don't know how that happened!

[RGN1]

Hope your mum gets well soon!

Cell phones are set not to be banned in the UK anyhow (if not already) so I would just go ahead & arrange to call her cell. The nurses should know by now that there's no effects on equipment because the article was in the Nursing Times recently.

I let my patients use them - as long as they turn them off prior to consultations & dressings etc!