Electromagnetic noise or signals form access points (AP) installed in a nearby building can affect the wireless communications of a hospital.
In hospitals in which information is computerized, a communication blackout would result in the inability to access patient information. Inability to access data could be a serious danger to the lives of the patients. It has been shown in Japanese studies that little electromagnetic interference is generated by a wireless LAN that affects medical devices. This is shown by the following.
The maximum output of wireless LAN technologies is about 150 m W by Japanese law. If the Japanese guidelines are followed, no interference with medical devices will occur, as shown by the results of irradiation experiments by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications [S] and by our experiment [9].
Some medical devices, such as microwave ovens, microwave therapy equipment, and heaters, emit or leak an electromagnetic field [10]. Because they are managed by staff members, the interference from these devices can be minimized by careful location or by shielding.