In healthcare facilities, it is very important that patients and visitors not use cell phones. However, with the ubiquitous nature of cell phones these days, it's a concept that many have a hard time grasping, and a rule they have a hard time following. No cell phone signs are a great way to remind people of the rules, to keep the healthcare facility optimal, and to prevent people from pretending ignorance about the policy. At HSI we make excellent and easy to understand no cell phone signs. We believe in serving not only the facilities that become our customers, but also the visitors and patients who populate them. Signs that make it clear, "No cell phones allowed," are a great way to do this.

No Cell Phone Signs

A good no phones sign does a few things. First of all, it grabs the attention of the viewer, so that the sign is either read or seen. This can be accomplished in a number of ways. One way to get attention is to place the sign in a high traffic area and at a good height, where people are sure to see it. Another way is to make the sign bold, with a bit of color and a strong graphic. This is where HSI can really help out with our excellent, vibrant no phones signs. We make two types, one of which is more focused on written content, the other of which is focused on the image.

The written type is generally a bit smaller, and it contains a strong graphic on the side, next to the text. The graphic is of a pair of cell phones circled in deep red and slashed through, to clearly indicated that they are not allowed or welcome in a healthcare facility. The text reads: "Use of cellular phones is prohibited in this facility." A strongly worded and clear rule, with an image to match. There can be no mistaking this sign, which is why we make it for so many healthcare facilities.

The purely graphic type of the no cell phones sign is also available, and it sends a very strong message as well. It has the added bonus of being more of an attention grabber than the text based sign. A large, black-lined picture to two cell phones with a large, bold red circle around them and a slash right through them. There can be no mistaking this sign either, as the red circle and slash has become a universal signal of "Not allowed." There also can be no missing this sign; its larger size, bigger image and bolder composition make it something the eye is drawn to, rather than something the eye merely passes over. No cell phones allowed is the clear message, and with a sign like this you can be sure the message will get across.

No cell phones signs are a big part of our business, because they are important to hospitals and hospital staffers. We make signs that take some of the policing work away from staffers.

Resources
Any time you're walking through a hospital you're going to see many signs telling you that you cannot use cell phones. Many people disregard these signs thinking that there's no way their one little cell phone can do any harm. This may or may not be true. There are many different studies on the usage of cell phones around hospital and medical equipment. There are lots of different results as well. The bottom line seems to be that there's not really any reason to tempt fate. There are plenty of sources that say they are harmful and when you're dealing with people's lives there really isn't a whole lot of wiggle room. Having a no cell phone sign posted near any room that is using equipment that might be interfered with helps prevent accidents from happening. What it boils down to is the decision between keeping patients safe and healthy or allowing patients and visitors to be on their phones all day. Hospitals have made the decision and having a sign posted outside of the facility or outside of any rooms containing machines that could be disturbed speaks volumes.

Why No Cell Phones in Hospitals?
Many people get frustrated and annoyed when they aren't allowed to use their cell phones in hospitals and healthcare facilities. Seeing a sign posted can often times send someone into a bad mood. Everyone has a cell phone these days, and most people have them attached to their hip. Some people don't feel like they can function without them. For these people, going to a hospital can be like going to jail. Many hospitals and healthcare facilities enforce a no cell phone policy so that cell phones won't interfere with the medical machines being used in the building. A Dutch study done a few years ago found that using cell phones in restricted areas of the hospital could be extremely dangerous. The reason is that cell phones create electromagnetic interference with certain hospital equipment. Smart phones that are used by a great amount of the population are giving off more of these interferences than older cell phones did. Some studies have found that these interferences are dangerous 75 percent of the time. Studies have also shown that the large amount of concrete in hospitals can make your cell phones work harder to get a signal, using more electricity. These disruptions can be extremely hazardous to a patients health. Feeding tubes, ventilators, dialysis machines, pacemakers, and other critical care machines can all be effected by cell phone usage. All of these things are infinitely more important than your next phone call. Having a no cell phone sign posted outside any room using these pieces of equipment can help everything run as smoothly as possible. In hospitals, there will always be emergencies and accidents. The goal is to eliminate as many as possible. Having no cell phone signs posted clearly and visibly can decrease the amount of confusion significantly.

Aside from the fact that cell phones may interfere with hospital equipment, they are flat out distracting to everyone in the hospital. When you're a doctor or nurse and you're working on a patient, the last thing you need is someone having a phone conversation in your ear. Family members and friends of patients like to call other people and tell them what's going on and whether or not the person is doing well. This can be distracting to the patient as well as the doctor or nurse that is trying to do their job and cure the patient. Cell phones should only be used in certain specified areas so that everyone can do their job well. No cell phone signs indicate where cell phones should be used and where they should be turned off.

Guidelines
Many states and countries have guidelines or regulations on where cell phones can be used inside a hospital or health care facility. In the United States, these guidelines are recommended by the Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. These offices state that many doctors and hospital administrators break their own rules. These guidelines are extremely hard to enforce and almost impossible to mandate. These offices are also working on implementing rules that kind of flip the switch. They question whether or not it is the hospital's job to implement these rules. Many hospitals are still extremely strict on the usage of cell phones in neonatal units or pediatric wings because there has been virtually no research done in these areas of a hospital. Still, while we're waiting on an answer, no cell phone signs are vital to the day to day operation of a hospital or health care facility.

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In hospitals, safety should and does always come first. For this reason, cell phones are not allowed in many sections of a health care facility. Any one that is using a piece of medical equipment that could be disrupted by a cell phone will be happy to hear that this rule is in place. If a patient is on a feeding tube that is interrupted by a cell phone, they will no longer be able to eat. If a ventilator is disturbed, a patient may no longer be able to breathe. Some of these problems aren't life threatening and may not seem that important. Aside from all of the health hazards, there is an issue of expense. Simply putting a no cell phone sign up can save a hospital a lot of time and money. Hospital equipment is extremely expensive and cannot be replaced easily. People using cell phones around equipment can cause a hospital a ton of unnecessary expense. When you're running a hospital it's important to keep expense and injury down. Having no cell phone signs posted clearly around the facility can help with both of these issues. Many research studies suggest that if you must use cell phones in hospitals, you only use them at a distance of at least three feet from any medical equipment or devices.

Get the signs you need from Health Care Signs today!