Wireless Communication System Use in Medical Hospitals and Management of the Electromagnetic Environment

More than 90% of Japanese hospitals have installed wireless LANs and 80% of them have Wireless Medical Telemetry Systems (WMTS). Wireless communication has become an important part of the infrastructure of modern hospitals, and voice communication systems have become indispensable as communication tools. Unfortunately, there have been communication failures caused by inappropriate implementation of wireless communication systems or by a poor electromagnetic environment, such as from electromagnetic noise. Inappropriate information sharing of the materials used in hospital construction is also a factor that causes problems. In this paper, we describe the use of wireless communication in Japanese hospitals, identify problems and their causes, and describe the required countermeasures by referring two Japanese guidelines.