Cellular Phone Technology in Critical Alert Messaging
Cellular phone technology and the smart phones this technology has spawned are important communication media in today’s society; you might even say they have become indispensable. However, they cannot be relied upon for critical alert messaging. These messages MUST be delivered and acknowledged without fail. Cellular communication technology is susceptible to dropped calls and network availability. How many times have you seen the commercial that focuses on the phrase, “Can you hear me now?” This concern is NOT acceptable when it comes to critical alert messaging.
More importantly, cellular technology is also vulnerable to network outages during hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, solar flare activity and other natural disasters. Just when you need it most, this technology is the MOST VULNERABLE. Therefore, cellular technology and the devices that rely on this communication medium are poorly suited for clinical alerting and urgent hospital messaging.