Methodology for identification of susceptible areas to electromagnetic interference in the hospital

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is the functional alteration in equipment due its exposition to electromagnetic fields. In Hospitals many patient care units have a high concentration of electrical and electronic medical devices, most of them are susceptible to EMI. The study of interference and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) in medical devices involves the use of measurement instruments and controlled environments, which most of Brazilian hospitals cannot afford. However, the occurrence of functional alterations in a medical device may cause serious damages to the patient therefore this problem cannot be ignored. The aim of this work is to propose a simple methodology to identify patient care units in hospital that are susceptible to radiated EMI. When these environments are identified and characterized, preventive actions can be performed.