Debate about cell phones in hospitals.

Sparks, sorry, but I agree with every one else. Within reason, cell phones should be allowed in hospitals, nursing homes, doctor's offices, etc etc etc, as long as they are not interfering with the regular business of that establishment. They provide a means of communication that would be much harder, otherwise. I would hope that anyone who leaves their phone "on" would respect the rights of others, including the professional people who are caring for them. Of course, if the doctor is standing there, needing to discuss something with a patient, any reasonable human being should get off the phone, and at least turn the ringer off, rather than saying "I'll be off in a minute". I imagine this is the exact reason that the rules are in place, if they aren't there to deter people from messing up the technology in the hospital.

I always turn mine off when I head into any office or my church, and usually just leave it in the car, instead of risking it ringing and annoying someone or ringing at a bad time.

Just my thoughts. If everyone was as careful as us, we might not need this sort of "rule" at all.

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Originally Posted by Edwina's Secretary

And really... a hospital is not the place to go if you are expecting restful peace and quiet!
Try getting a good night's sleep in one of those places... http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/rolleyes.gif http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/rolleyes.gif

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Oooooh, How TRUE!

* Midnite:Thirty ... (SOUND asleep) ... <snaps on ALL Lights> ...
"Hey Bub! Here, take your sleepie pill!" <gulp>
She leaves - with the LIGHTS Burning BRIGHTLY! http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/mad.gif

* Oh:dark:Thirty in the AM ... A Doc and his "Assistant" <stomp> into the room ...
<snap> and EVERY light in the room comes on - both beds!
LOUD Babbling between the two of them - about the last patient they woke up ...
"Assistant" <grabs> MY wrist for a pulse ...
"Doc" looks at the chart on the bed ... "Oooopsie - wrong patient!" http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/rolleyes.gif
They adjourn to the window bed ... and start molesting my roomie.

Their "discussion" could have been heard out at the nurses station!
THEN the cell >>RINGS<< ... for an eternity ... Dippy Assistant answers hers ...
"Herrow ... Herrow ... Herrow ..." - while the darn thing CONTINUES to >>RING<<!
"Doctor, I think that might be YOUR phone ..."

He got it answered on about the TENTH ring! http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/mad.gif
He didn't need the phone - whoever he was SHOUTING AT could have just
opened their window and heard him fine!
Then they left ... leaving ALL our lights burning brightly! http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/mad.gif

* Then there were the 6:00 AM Wake-Ups to "get ready" for a test that wasn't
scheduled to start till 9:00 AM.

And they *b!tched* about me yappin on the cell dinger!
http://petoftheday.com/i/our_smilies/rolleyes.gif

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Originally Posted by Edwina's Secretary

When you are the patient it is a little hard to step outside to call. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Excuse me...please take out all these tubes and devises so I can go outside and make a call? Doesn't work too well. How is it any different if I call on my cell or call on a landline theyoffered me (which did not have long distance capabilities?)

And by the way...they did offer to tell whoever was waiting in the lobby...however, I had driven myself to the hospital.

Do you think the phones in the hospital rooms should be removed as well? How are those any different?

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for patient use.... perhaps... but make your phone call quietly and then shut it off. there is no need for anyone to have their cell phones ON... and ringing off the hook in a hospital. If the hospital refuses to call your emergency contact (although i have never heard a hospital refuse to call your emergency contact if you are admitted) then you must get a hold of someone somehow (again never heard of a hospital refusing to notify anyone) Even when I had my asthma attack and was admitted THEY called to notify my emergency contact... even though I was probably only going to be there for a couple of hours. but you notify one person... they can notify everyone else and then you can shut your phone off. ;) or is it :rolleyes: :rolleyes: LOL

As for landlines in a room.... again if someone wants to see how you are doing... they can come visit you. perhaps they charge for phone use to discourage people who want to just yak away on the phone all the time. Private room? sure you are only disturbing yourself.... but you dont need to disturb others. I can't stand when people have loud conversations whether they are on a phone or not. I think if someone can't keep their voice down they should be asked to leave, personally. But the hospital staff shouldn't have to babysit your guests. and I say this as a very loud person (but even I can control myself and use my indoor voice) My dad is also very loud and apparently doesn't have an indoor voice.... I am always telling him to quiet down, there is no need to yell, I am right beside him.

LOL people can't live without their cell phones? how did our species ever survive before cell phones were invented?

Do you know why most elderly people don't use cell phones.... because they know how to live without one. They managed to make it through life without a phone glued to their ear.... *GASP* how do they do it?

Again, If you MUST use your phone while in a hospital (if you aren't hooked up to machines :rolleyes: lol) go outside and then shut it off when you come back in the hospital. LOL I really don't understand why that is so hard to do lol

Trust me when I go into labour the last thing I want to listen to is my husband calling everyone. i will survive for a few minutes if he steps outside to make his calls.

Logan, see you have the common sense to shut your phone off... most people don't. it's like if you shut off your phone... you will just drop dead. if everyone were able to do that or could comprehend that kind of courtesy there would be no need for debate.

I just don't get the "but it makes life so easy" thing.... SO WHAT... life is tough.... you can go without a cell phone or step outside to use it. Life went on just fine before cell phones. SHUT IT OFF! you will live ;) yes it's convenient... but not nessecary at all times.... if it is not nessecary then you should use discretion on when and where you use it.

Now do you just have your cell phones cranked up while at work and just talk to your friends whenever you feel like it? probably not. WHY MUST you do it in a hospital.

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Originally Posted by sparks19

LOL I really don't udnerstand why this is such a soft spot.... I mean... how did people manage to survive before cell phones were around? How did anyone get a hold of anyone?

Most often than not a hospital will contact your emergency contact if you are in the hospital. Other than that.... they can find a way to contact anyone that needs to know.

I just can't fathom WHY you MUST use a cell phone in a hospital. AND if you HAVE to call someone to tell them that someone is at the hospital... why can't you just step outside.

Wonderful... so SOME people put them on vibrate.... but too many people have the volume CRANKED up with some annoying tune blaring out of the phone... is that nessecary?

it is not hard to have respect for people around you. There is no need to be loud and boisterous... or to have your cell phone constantly ringing.... TURN IT OFF!!!!!!!!!! it's not too much to ask... I'm sure you won't stop breathing if you don't have it on lol It's not a life line... it's a bloody phone. people can wait to talk to you.

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Yeah....I agree with you Sparksy.......I think the bloody things are annoying....like little alarm clocks going off all the time.
It's funny how people always try and shove their rights down everyones throat, by being so bloody rude to them.
Wombat

Sparks, I disagree with you vehemently on this one.

Hospitals charge an arm and a leg for phone usage. If the cell phones don't interfere with their instruments, then I see no reason not to allow them.

Is there some discretion called for? Absolutely, but discretion is called for any time one is having a conversation in a public area, be it on a cell phone or in person.

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Originally Posted by wombat2u2004

Yeah....I agree with you Sparksy.......I think the bloody things are annoying....like little alarm clocks going off all the time.
It's funny how people always try and shove their rights down everyones throat, by being so bloody rude to them.
Wombat

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LOL I don't know about you.... but the sound I dread most is my alarm clock going off in the morning.... why would I want that sound non stop all day. HAHA

I mean don't get me wrong. i have a cell phone. It is ALWAYS on vibrate.... I don't think I even know what my ringers sound like because I just don't ever use one. I have it on when I am away from my husband because he is my transportation and we don't have a phone at work. If he calls, he leaves me a message letting me know he will be late or what have you. But mostly I have it because we don't have a phone at the store (right now) and if something happens during my pregnancy I need to get a hold of him... again I don't drive so he is my only transportation lol. other than that.... my phone sits on my dresser and is never used. I don't take it when we go out.... I don't take it anywhere other than when I am going to be alone. I don't NEEEEEED it so why would I want it one me all the time so everyone and their brother can call me to ask what my favourite colour is... LOL they can wait till I get home to find out.

OR they can email me... at least that is quiet ;)

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Originally Posted by Lady's Human

Sparks, I disagree with you vehemently on this one.

Hospitals charge an arm and a leg for phone usage. If the cell phones don't interfere with their instruments, then I see no reason not to allow them.

Is there some discretion called for? Absolutely, but discretion is called for any time one is having a conversation in a public area, be it on a cell phone or in person.

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I wonder why.... perhaps because they don't want every tom dick and harry yaking at the top of their lungs and having everyone and their brother calling so there is non stop ringing going on ;)

No, because they charge what the market will bear for phone usage.

With private and semi private rooms quiet phone conversations don't disturb others.

When you have 2 kids at home and Mom is taken to the hospital by ambulance you might understand.

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Originally Posted by sparks19

LOL I don't know about you.... but the sound I dread most is my alarm clock going off in the morning.... why would I want that sound non stop all day. HAHA

I mean don't get me wrong. i have a cell phone. It is ALWAYS on vibrate.... I don't think I even know what my ringers sound like because I just don't ever use one. I have it on when I am away from my husband because he is my transportation and we don't have a phone at work. If he calls, he leaves me a message letting me know he will be late or what have you. But mostly I have it because we don't have a phone at the store (right now) and if something happens during my pregnancy I need to get a hold of him... again I don't drive so he is my only transportation lol. other than that.... my phone sits on my dresser and is never used. I don't take it when we go out.... I don't take it anywhere other than when I am going to be alone. I don't NEEEEEED it so why would I want it one me all the time so everyone and their brother can call me to ask what my favourite colour is... LOL they an wait till I get home to find out.

OR they can email me... at least that is quiet ;)

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Hehehe....yep....thats right.
But I love the ones who have that phone glued to their ears even as they are walking along the street. One has to walk around them.....they are so far out of touch with who is in front of them that they'd walk over ya.
But yeah....I reckon we were just so much better off without those things.
Wombat

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Originally Posted by Lady's Human

No, because they charge what the market will bear for phone usage.

With private and semi private rooms quiet phone conversations don't disturb others.

When you have 2 kids at home and Mom is taken to the hospital by ambulance you might understand.

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Well I did say that I have no problem with patient use of a phone when nessecary... but no one needs to be on the phone constantly. When you are in the hospital no one needs to have casual conversation on the phone. Is it hard on people to go without? Sure it might be... but it won't kill them. People lived without cell phones for a LONG time.... they aren't nessecary now. Use it in an emergency and if you are able... step outside to do so. I just don't get why that is so hard to do. Basically the cell phone thing in a hospital is it is NOT nessecary.... no one NEEDS to have their cell phone on all the time. Make your calls in private... turn off your phone. Simple. If you must, check your messages every so often... but then turn it back off.

Sure... it makes things "easy" but sometimes life is not meant to be easy. Somtimes you must live life the hard way.

Take one 5am ambulance run.

Take 2 kids, one 2, one 5, and send them to a friends house for the day while dad runs around checking on Mom and getting various things done.

Go to the hospital, sit by wife's bedside for a few hours.

The few phone calls I got from crying children worried about mom disturbed no one, and saved everyone a lot of grief.

It's allowed, use discretion, and deal with it.

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Originally Posted by Lady's Human

Take one 5am ambulance run.

Take 2 kids, one 2, one 5, and send them to a friends house for the day while dad runs around checking on Mom and getting various things done.

Go to the hospital, sit by wife's bedside for a few hours.

The few phone calls I got from crying children worried about mom disturbed no one, and saved everyone a lot of grief.

It's allowed, use discretion, and deal with it.

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It's wonderful if you use discretion.... but you are one of few.... again it is not NESSECARY. I think in a hospital they have every right to restrict cell phone use. If they must say it is because of machine interference so be it... but people managed to have relatives in hospital and survive without cell phones before... we can survive now. We have just become a society of such convenience that no one really cares about others around them anymore. You can site all kinds of reasons for why it is convenient... but until I hear an absolutely NESSECARY reason... i will never think it is appropriate to use cell phones inside a hospital. All the reasons I have heard are only because it is easy but technically all calls could be made outside of the hospital. It's not the easy way but it can be done.

Like I said.... 20 years ago you wouldn't find people on their cell phones in hospital... somehow they managed. So can everyone else. it's not easy... but life isn't easy.

it isn't allowed in all hospitals... only some. and all those people seem to be able to get by just fine without having a cell phone glued to them. So turn off your cell phone when in the hospital.

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So turn off your cell phone when in the hospital.

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In situations like my prior post?

When Satan Skis.

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Originally Posted by Lady's Human

In situations like my prior post?

When Satan Skis.

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make calls to the kids every hour. step outside and give them an update and reassure them. Come back in and turn off the cell phone.

I must ask my grandmother how she ever dealt with my grandfathers hospitalizations with 4 boys and no cell phones.

or how my mom dealt with her hospitalizations (being a single mom) or how she dealt with her mothers hospitalizations (she had liver cancer) with two kids and no cell phones.

It can be done and is not a nessecity.

Wow! For thousands of years babies were born without doctors and anesthesia.....but I don't know if you think life was meant to be that hard? And babies were born without ultrasound....I'll ask my mother how she managed to birth four babies without all these modern conveniences.....

Ask ANYONE in the healthcare field...your suggestion that people can visit you instead of talk on the phone is simply contrary to good health. People visiting bring and take germs with them.

If you have a problem with cell phones...don't use one. If you are expected ZERO conversation to be taking place around you in a hospital (or many other places for that matter....) you may be in for a surprise.