Management of EMI in the hospital environment

Summary form only given .Since 1991, culminating in an initial publication in August 1994 (Electromagnetic Interference: Causes and Concerns in the Health Care Environment (ASHE, 055110)) the Biomedical Engineering Department of Texas Children's Hospital has been one of the leaders in the development of procedures and policies designed to mitigate the effects of electromagnetic interference in the clinical environment. The Biomedical Engineering Department engages in a multifaceted program of the mapping and measurement of electromagnetic fields occurring in the clinical environment of care (footprinting). These fields originate both internally and externally to this environment. Unintentionally radiated electromagnetic fields produced by diagnostic and therapeutic devices utilized in the clinical environment (fingerprinting) are measured. Device susceptibility testing by exposure to common sources of intentionally radiated electromagnetic energy encountered in the hospital environment is performed. Through the application of these procedures as well as a proactive program of staff education many of the potential effects of Electromagnetic Interference have been reduced. This paper presents an outline of the procedural processes, both technical and administrative, used in the Hospital electromagnetic interference mitigation process. Several examples of electromagnetic interference are presented as well as the solutions developed to reduce or eliminate the interference.