Revista de sistemas eléctricos y electrónicos

The Necessity of Interdisciplinary Collaboration for the Improvement of the Electromagnetic Environment in Medical Settings

Abstract

Eisuke Hanada

Modern clinical medicine uses a wide variety of highly technical medical devices on which advanced medicine increasingly relies. These devices often use internet and communication technology. Some medical devices pick up weak biomedical signals and others function by generating a powerful magnetic field. Wireless LAN and wireless voice communication are useful in clinical settings.
Because of the recent availability of technical reports and our educational efforts to show that medical devices and wireless communication apparatus are safe and compatible, there is reduced anxiety among medical professionals and thus demand is increasing for technically advanced systems. For safety and security reasons, it is necessary to prevent both the radiation of strong electromagnetic waves from apparatus inside the hospital and to block the invasion of electromagnetic waves from outside. These problems can be solved by the use of electromagnetic shielding technology. The above are all related to the necessity of controlling electromagnetic fields. At present, adequate techniques for the control of the fields commonly found in medical settings have not been established. The best results will be attained if collaboration is done with people from the variety of fields working on or who will work on the project, such as those involved in material, architectural, and structural engineering, as well as the medical staff.
In order to insure the safe use of wireless communications in medical settings it will be necessary to improve the EMC standards and to disseminate information about electromagnetic field control to the medical staff. To insure safety and meet the needs of this rapidly changing environment, electromagnetic field control techniques must be established and constantly improved to meet the requirements of the environment in which medical devices are used. To achieve this, interdisciplinary collaboration is indispensable.