Debate about cell phones in hospitals.

While I realize I work at a VET hospital not a human hospital, and I'm having to assume that human hosptials run into at least some similar hassles that we did at work. I'm guessing that some of the no cell phone rules may have to do with doctors being able to discuss treatment etc. with the patients and cell phone conversations interfering.

The reason I say this is...

Until a few years ago our vet hospital allowed cell phones inside. We had the usual loud talkers, people who just HAD to answer that call from the kid at home wondering what was for dinner right when the dr. was discussing what to be expected during an upcoming major surgery, walki talki mode set on LOUD so you could clearly hear both ends of the conversation through closed doors, annoying and LOUD ring tones (all of which I might mention tend to frighten timid animals which puts us at higher risk of getting bit).

The FINAL straw was a few years ago. This actually happened! We had a client come in already talking on his cell phone. He sat down in the lobby with his large dog. Never said a word to us and would NOT answer us when we asked his name. We had to match up the dogs discription with the files to figure out who he even was, and check with the appointment book just to find out why he was there! He did respond by getting up when we called the dog's name.

So we put him in a room (not so much as a break in the cell phone convo), and we could hear him in there just yakking away. It wasn't an important call from the end we could hear. At some point while he was in there we heard him say 'bye' and it got quiet. Yay, the guy hung up finally! So much for our elation, nope, do you know what he did next? He dialed up someone else and started up the yaking on the cell phone again. Once more didn't appear to be an important discussion, more like social calls.

So when his turn came the dr. walked in the room, the guy on the phone didn't even look up to acknowledge the dr!! He wouldn't respond to any questions asking about the dog's health since his last visit. So the dr. just did his examination, all while the guy is yakking away. The dog appeared healthy and happy, was due for a vaccination as I recall, and we went ahead and did that and told the owner unless he had questions that he was done. The guy didn't even so much as NOD and walked to the check out with the dog, yaking on his cell phone the ENTIRE time!!

From what our receptionist said, the man talked the ENTIRE time he was checked out, still never responded to questions or acknowledged ANYONE. Just flopped his credit card on the counter, gathered his reciept and left with the dog, STILL yakking on the phone!!!

Later that day the boss put up signs all over the hospital saying NO CELL PHONES INSIDE THE BUILDING!

I'm guessing that if human dr's have had similar things happen, or had someone else in the room yakking on the cell phone while they are trying to discuss a serious medical condition to a patient, that they'd be a little 'down' on cell phones also.

It's not the phones themselves that are the problem, it's the people that use them, and HOW they use them.

CatLady--that guy would have driven me to grabbing the cellphone and whacking him over the head with it. That was a display of nothing but disrespect and complete abandonment of manners. Not to mention his lack of taking responsibility for his dog or his business at hand. Perhaps the doctor/staff should have walked over to him and explained that the phone had to go or he could take his business elsewhere.

The doctor did the right thing by hanging up the signs. Someone talking into a phone while they're doing business with me is rude and inexcusable. He is a good example of why the banning of cell phones is an issue in some places. He gives the phone usage a bad name for no good reason. It is a shame that a blatant display of bad judgement might take away something that may save the day for another person. :(

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Originally Posted by Daisy and Delilah

That guy would have driven me to grabbing the cellphone and
whacking him over the head with it.

Someone talking into a phone while they're doing business with me is rude and inexcusable. :(

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And what do you do or say when ...

The Offending Cell-Yapper is none other than your Doctor!? :eek: :mad:

I swear I've got one Doc that has NEVER completed an Office Visit nor a Hospital Rounds Visit
without accepting at least one cell call! :eek:
And the receipt of that call often "requires" the initiation of a call to someone else! :mad:

HEY - Quack Person!
Pay attention to ME, please. ... You can jabber to your Cronies later!

:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Edwina's Secretary

What about patients gabbing on landline phones? Should those be taken out as well? Might disturb the patient in the next bed?

Last year I was in the emergency room...as a patient. There are many, many area codes in SoCal. They had a phone I could use to call my husband and tell him I was there...but the phone would not call his area code. Had I not had my cell phone to use there would not have been a way for me to talk to him. Same once I was admitted. Only way I could call him was on my cell.

You are assuming cell phone usage is only by visitors. What about patients?

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I haven't read any of the rest of the replies but this is an EXCELLANT point. I WORK in a hospital and a couple weeks ago we had a patient on the (room)phone with a drunk friend of his yelling so loudly the lady down the hall asked if they could shut him up. Oh did I mention that this was in the middle of a blizzard so no one was going anywhere AND after 11pm??? Mind you patients are filling out PRESS GAINEY http://www.pressganey.com/ customer satisfaction surveys after every hospital visit and I'm sure that the employees will be the ones that get blistered over this when it was a patient b/c you can't tell them what to do. (we just had an old man (his name was listed in his survey) that said there were too many fat people employed at our facility) :eek: gggrr
A couple years ago when we didn't allow cell phones in our facility, I saw a lady walking down the hall talking about her new grandbaby just as loud as can be. I politely said "ma'am you can't use a cell phone in here" and she looked at me STRAIGHT in the eye and said "yea I know and I don't care" her daughters (adults) were MORTIFIED they said MOM GET OFF THE PHONE! she said "pfft what's she going to do shoot me?" I then found out that she was a previous employee of the hospital and KNEW better. I then decided I wasn't saying anything to anyone in hospitals about cell phones. Then we approved that it was ok to use them...
Along the same lines of disrupting sick people how about people that bring SCREAMING CHILDREN TO VISIT THEIR SICK RELATIVES? Last week there was a child that was squealing and screaming so loud in a patients room I heard her thru closed doors and down the hallway. The parents kept the child there for at least an hour or longer.... I would rather hear a little cell phone ring and someone talking on the phone than a child screaming bloody murder that resembles nails on a chalkboard.

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Originally Posted by sparks19

But my feeling is that hospital staff aren't paid to follow cell phone users around to make sure they aren't being obnoxious with them (as we can all agree that many cell users are)

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out of this ENTIRE thread this is the only thing you have said that I have even REMOTELY agreed with.
Debating is one thing. But the most important thing to remember (MYSELF INCLUDED very much so) is that not everyone THINKS the same way you do and this does not make them right or wrong. More times than not in the times I have seen you 'debate' with others you make it seem like yours is the only RIGHT opinion. Keep in mind that I was NOT on the debate team, ;) nor am I blaming your pregnancy one iota!!! I HATE politics for this reason and I stay out of the doghouse most of the time B/C of the 'debatable' topics..........

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Originally Posted by ramanth

, and no pay phone to be found.

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our local phone company came in one day and RIPPED out both of our PAY PHONES without telling anyone about it b/c they didn't have enough charges on it - probably b/c everyone uses their cell phones!! Made quite lovely LARGE BARREN holes in the walls!!!

And Pembroke_Corgi is right in larger facilities most nurses use a type of cell phone to communicate with each other.

In 2004 my grandma was dying in the hospital. If I wouldn't have had my cell phone I would have gone insane. I was on it on my way TO the hospital, while I was there (I didn't take it into the CCU where she was - ever) to tell my dad what I found out since he was recovering from surgery and unable to be there himself, and using it on the trip home. And yes that $150 phone bill bit me in the arse when it came - but I switched to the IN network and its been a GODsend.
and Jo
do you have bluetooth? Come June/July OH is one of the first states to pass not using your cell phone in the car without the hands free option. But you legal eagle mind probably KNEW that and could tell me a thing or 2 about 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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hmmmm where I work the crying/screaming children would have been WITH you so I could KISS you for NOT bringing them!!! ;)

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Originally Posted by sparks19

The hospital I am going to is very small and personal. They dont allow cell phone use... as I said it is a very tiny hospital. it is a half hour away but they offer better personal care than the large hospitals. (at least the ones around here)

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I have a feeling that your very tiny hospital is still bigger than where I work we have less than 25 beds and we allow cell phones b/c we understood that people are going to use them anyway and if it brings comfort to some than so be it...... (and no I am but a peon in the food chain there so I did NOT have anything to do with the decision)

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Originally Posted by Daisy and Delilah

CatLady--that guy would have driven me to grabbing the cellphone and whacking him over the head with it. That was a display of nothing but disrespect and complete abandonment of manners. Not to mention his lack of taking responsibility for his dog or his business at hand. Perhaps the doctor/staff should have walked over to him and explained that the phone had to go or he could take his business elsewhere.

The doctor did the right thing by hanging up the signs. Someone talking into a phone while they're doing business with me is rude and inexcusable. He is a good example of why the banning of cell phones is an issue in some places. He gives the phone usage a bad name for no good reason. It is a shame that a blatant display of bad judgement might take away something that may save the day for another person. :(

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LOL since he wasn't paying attention... I would have charged him double :D hahahaha if he had called back (although I imagine it would be difficult for him to find time between his phone calls) and complained I would have told him it was a disturbance fee. LMAO

don't you wish you could say things like that to people at your work?

I have heard this complaint from many ladies that are nurses... they try to do something for a patient and they must sit there and wait on them to get off their cell phone. I said to one friend "don't you wish you could say 'well since this phone call is more important than your health... why don't you just come and interrupt me while I am helping anothe patient whenever it suits YOU and your chat time."

I have to say that at my work... lol my big ol' bead shop (shut up Wombat :D) most of our customers are pretty good about their cell phones. They don't answer them during a class.... customers in the store will usually either let the person go or politely say to me "excuse me for one moment" and step outside. they don't just yak it up in the store.... we dont' ask them not to... they just choose not to. Although most of the time it if probably because we are a loud and personable bunch at my store and are always yakking it up with all the customers so they probably just can't hear or if they are the customer we are talking to they will usually grab their phone and shut off the ringer and continue their convo with us. hahahaha.

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Originally Posted by Cinder & Smoke

And what do you do or say when ...

The Offending Cell-Yapper is none other than your Doctor!? :eek: :mad:

I swear I've got one Doc that has NEVER completed an Office Visit nor a Hospital Rounds Visit
without accepting at least one cell call! :eek:
And the receipt of that call often "requires" the initiation of a call to someone else! :mad:

HEY - Quack Person!
Pay attention to ME, please. ... You can jabber to your Cronies later!

:rolleyes:

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Cronies LOL I love that.

As you can probably tell... I am pretty vocal about my likes and dislikes I would probably tell him that I don't have all day and if he would like payment for this visit could he please answer my questions instead of his phone.

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Originally Posted by shais_mom

our local phone company came in one day and RIPPED out both of our PAY PHONES without telling anyone about it b/c they didn't have enough charges on it - probably b/c everyone uses their cell phones!! Made quite lovely LARGE BARREN holes in the walls!!!

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My parents were camping at a State Park last summer (one we've been too many time before) and walked up to the Ranger Station to use the pay phone and were surprised to find them gone. Lady working said the phone company just up and took them with no notice. So my parents bike down a mile to the local marina. THEIR phone was also gone.

So they biked back to the campground, got in the truck and drove for hours looking for a payphone. Finally found one (can't recall where...an old gas station I think) and called to let me know they got to the campground safely.

Days later when my dad blacked out from vertigo, mom had to drive miles away from the hospital to that same gas station just to let us know what had happened and how he was doing.

They now have a cell phone.

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Originally Posted by ramanth

My parents were camping at a State Park last summer (one we've been too many time before) and walked up to the Ranger Station to use the pay phone and were surprised to find them gone. Lady working said the phone company just up and took them with no notice. So my parents bike down a mile to the local marina. THEIR phone was also gone.

So they biked back to the campground, got in the truck and drove for hours looking for a payphone. Finally found one (can't recall where...an old gas station I think) and called to let me know they got to the campground safely.

Days later when my dad blacked out from vertigo, mom had to drive miles away from the hospital to that same gas station just to let us know what had happened and how he was doing.

They now have a cell phone.

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Hey is it true that pay phones in the US will only allow you to talk for a few minutes before you have to add more money? I have heard that before....

Where I am from one quarter in the phone and you can talk forever if you wanted to.

As for cell phones in camp grounds.... I guess it depends on the cell phone and company but more often than not I can't get any signal on my cell phone outside of town until I get into another town. I used to ONLY have a cell phone and no home phone... but I got sick and tired of my phone dropping my calls everytime I wanted to talk to my mom for more than 5 minutes.

Not to mention they cost a fortune to use... especially to call Canada. lol

And the batteries.... ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH. You would think with all the "technology" they could get batteries that will charge and don't go dead after 5 minutes if you have had the phone longer than a year.... maybe it's a conspiracy to keep you buying the newest phones :D

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Originally Posted by Cinder & Smoke

And what do you do or say when ...

The Offending Cell-Yapper is none other than your Doctor!? :eek: :mad:

I swear I've got one Doc that has NEVER completed an Office Visit nor a Hospital Rounds Visit
without accepting at least one cell call! :eek:
And the receipt of that call often "requires" the initiation of a call to someone else! :mad:

HEY - Quack Person!
Pay attention to ME, please. ... You can jabber to your Cronies later!

:rolleyes:

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That's just rude, crude, and unacceptable, Phred. But what can we do? After all, they make so much more money than we do, drive a better car than we do, and, their time is so much more valuable than ours is. Right?? :rolleyes:

sparks; This topic has certainly brought on a spirited discussion. I have learned alot from other people's perspectives. Maybe now I will be more tolerant of some cellphone users or.....maybe not ;)

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Originally Posted by sparks19

Hey is it true that pay phones in the US will only allow you to talk for a few minutes before you have to add more money? I have heard that before....

Where I am from one quarter in the phone and you can talk forever if you wanted to.

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I think there is a time limit but honestly can't remember, but I do remember when pay phones were a dime, then they raised the rate to a quarter, then to 35 cents.

While at the mall recently, I noticed they still had two pay phones and it's 50 cents now! :eek: And I think there is a time limit.

My parents would use a calling card with the pay phones.

That's interesting becuase over here they are thinking of doing the opposite.
Up to now mobiles have been banned in hospital because of the possible interference with equipment but nothing has been proven so they are thinking of relaxing the rules

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Originally Posted by Daisy and Delilah

That's just rude, crude, and unacceptable, Phred. But what can we do? After all, they make so much more money than we do, drive a better car than we do, and, their time is so much more valuable than ours is. Right?? :rolleyes:

sparks; This topic has certainly brought on a spirited discussion. I have learned alot from other people's perspectives. Maybe now I will be more tolerant of some cellphone users or.....maybe not ;)

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LOL you're funny :D

I have a feeling though that this particular Dr's care might have been less than stellar whether he was on the phone or not.... I mean if that is normal practice for him to be so rude.

:Eek: I was talking to a lady the other day about labour and she was saying that while she was in the final stages of labour she was screaming and making a bunch of noise lol and her mid wife told her to shut up.... :Eek: I think my foot would have "Accidently" slipped off the stirrup and kicked her LOL.

Last I knew it's 50 cents for a pay phone for the first three minutes, then you have to put more money in - I haven't had to use one in years, but that's always how they were here, no matter the "starting fee."

I don't like television. Rarely watch it. The shows all seem to be about Anna Nicole Smith or voting people off islands. Have you been in a waiting room or in a hospital and heard the drone of Bob Barker prattering on about some overpriced washing machine?? The other evening I was trying to eat my dinner in the restaurant/bar of the hotel I was staying in and there was the LOUD tv!

But I am not going to suggest banning tvs from bars or hospitals or waiting rooms -- just because they annoy me.

We share our space in this world with other people. And everyone does not enjoy the same thing. We need to deal with it.

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Originally Posted by Edwina's Secretary

I don't like television. Rarely watch it. The shows all seem to be about Anna Nicole Smith or voting people off islands. Have you been in a waiting room or in a hospital and heard the drone of Bob Barker prattering on about some overpriced washing machine?? The other evening I was trying to eat my dinner in the restaurant/bar of the hotel I was staying in and there was the LOUD tv!

But I am not going to suggest banning tvs from bars or hospitals or waiting rooms -- just because they annoy me.

We share our space in this world with other people. And everyone does not enjoy the same thing. We need to deal with it.

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The only TV's I have experienced in waiting rooms had the sound off and closed captioning on. So NO I can't say I have experienced that.

Even in bars the only time they have the sound up on the TV is for a sports game... and that's because it's a sports bar and that's what people are there to see LOL. Actually we have a REALLY neat place around here called Damon's Grill. At each table it has a little speaker and they have 4 big screens and you can choose which tv you want to listen to. Each table has their own private thing. It's cool.

Staci- I wasn't aware of that pending legistlation in OH. But, I am not very into the politics of things, so, no shock, really. I don't have a bluetooth, but, I do use an ear bud (or bug, as my friend calls it) religiously. In fact, I should own stock in the ear bud company that makes the one I like. Gus chews through the cord-All.The.Time. I would estimate I have replaced 10 of them in 18 months. You would think I would learn, eh? Nope. I forget, and within minutes, he has chewed through it.

What else was I going to comment on....hmmm....thinking, thinking....thinking.

Oh, that's right! Taking my screaming child someplace, medical or not. Sometimes, you just don't have a choice. Screaming children, like cell phones, loud, ignorant people, long lines...well, just one of life's many inconveniences.

My husband got one of those bluetooth things from his work.... he FIANLLY got it working... but it was so quiet even with the volume all the way up. Maybe it's just because his hearing is bad but it was terrible... he couldn't hear anything with it... It has been int he box ever since :D lol

Anyone had any success with those things?

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Originally Posted by shais_mom

Our local phone company came in one day and RIPPED out both of our PAY PHONES
without telling anyone about it b/c they didn't have enough charges on it ...

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Originally Posted by ramanth

... walked up to the Ranger Station to use the pay phone and were surprised to find them gone.
... to the local marina. THEIR phone was also gone.
... got in the truck and drove for hours looking for a payphone.
:eek:

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Sadly, Pay Phones are a dying breed - soon to be come extinct. :(

Many years ago, Pay Phones were a source of considerable profit to the major
telephone companies - the ONLY folks who were allowed to "own" a pay phone
and connect it to the national phone network. No competition and no competing technologies.
Life was good - Pay Phones on every corner of most intersections - 5 or 10 cents a call.

Enter "deregulation" - the change that was going to revolutionize communications ...
It did ...
* 1-800 numbers became affordable and everyone got one.
* "Calling Cards" ate into the cash that used to pile up in Pay Phone hoppers.
* Any Tom, Dick, or Harriett could buy a Pay Phone - and Ma Bell HAD to let
. . the owner connect it to the network and "make some money".

Net results >>>
* NObody found many coins in their Pay Phones any more
* The Baby Bells spent tons of money servicing Pay Phones and providing network services
. . to all the "private pay phone owners" that were now getting a piece of the revenue pie.
* Vandalism of the remote phones increased - what little money fell into the hopper
. . was stolen, and the damage cost more than 3 years "revenue" to repair.
* Rates went up; phones became Really Scarce; the "dial tone" cost you an initial
. . 50 cents ... more due if you "connected"; NO "free" 1-800 calls - everybody "pays"!

And THAT resulted in ...
* The Bells and the Privates started pulling out phones left & right
* "Operator Service" has deteriorated - you can wait for 5-10 minutes to "talk" to a human!
** More & more CELL PHONES to kill what little business remains for the Old Antique Pay Phone! :(

Progress ... :rolleyes:

I think of hospital phones as I do pay phones and hotel phones. EXPENSIVE!!!
Can't even remember the last time I used a pay phone. :o

Ever pay for a bill at a hotel, after making a long distance call? :eek: This is money maker for the hotel. Good for them! I'm sure that the hospitals and pay phone companies have the same attitude. In my business, I have made a lot of hotel loans. And for a long time, there was a specific line item for income from the phones in the rooms, and it was pretty significant. I see it less frequently, now, and I'm sure it is because more and more people use their cell phones, which offer free long distance, rather than the alternative of making those long distance calls from the hotel phone.

Even now, at our home, we choose to use our cell phone for calling family, rather than our home phone. Although we have the capability to make long distance calls from our home phone, we don't. My daughter and I have unlimited calling from our cell phones to anywhere in the US. Why would we not use them? And if we, or any member of our family, were in the hospital, we would be so grateful to be able to do that. Good manners are a given, and some folks just don't have good manners, especially in regards to the use of their cell phones. Shame on them.

I'm thinking, at this point, that life must be pretty darned good for a thread on this particular topic to get so much attention! :p Maybe, if we have so much time, we need to go love on our pets or pay attention to our family!! LOL!!

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Originally Posted by Logan

Maybe, if we have so much time, we need to go love on our pets or pay attention to our family!! LOL!!

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Uh, hello? Two hands! One for the cell phone, one to pet the feline. :)

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Originally Posted by Logan

I'm thinking, at this point, that life must be pretty darned good for a thread on this particular topic to get so much attention! :p Maybe, if we have so much time, we need to go love on our pets or pay attention to our family!! LOL!!

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Logan, if you didn't work outside the house & threaded beads all day,
you would need a distraction like this too. :D

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Originally Posted by Cataholic

Uh, hello? Two hands! One for the cell phone, one to pet the feline. :)

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or one hand to hold the leash, second hand to pick up the dropping( yes that hand is recycled bad covered :p ), ear 'bug' to talk to my 73 yr old mom as we 'walk the dog, together'. she hasn't been able to walk with me and the dogs for years :(

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Originally Posted by lizbud

Logan, if you didn't work outside the house & threaded beads all day,
you would need a distraction like this too. :D

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I actually do work outside the house thank you very much ;)

I don't run a bead shop out of my home. Beading is just a hobby. But there is an ACTUAL store :eek:

And hubby had hockey last night so it gets lonely at home all alone :D

I've always left my phone on in hosptials and doctors, I know a nurse who said its mainly the noise that will disturb people which is why they are asked to turn phones off. I think along as its on vibrate or silent and you dont make unessasary phone calls then there is nothing wrong with that.