Effective: 03-13-23
Supersedes: 06-22-20
Purpose: To establish policies and guidelines for acceptable cellular phone and camera use.
Policy: Cellular phone and camera use must not interfere with employee safety, patient privacy, or patient care.
Procedure:
Phone Use
Field Personnel: Team members assigned to the Field are prohibited from using cellular telephones (voice, webcam, or text messaging) at any point between being dispatched to an emergency call and the time the assigned incident is complete, or (in the case of a non-emergency response or chair car assignment) when in the presence of a patient except for work-related purposes directly related to that assignment. When on a response, personal cell phones should be set to silent mode and incoming calls go to voice mail. Examples of a work-related purpose include contacting the Communication Center or Medical Control, or contacting a Field Supervisor to assist in resolving an on-scene logistical situation.
Use of cellular phones for personal use while operating a company vehicle is strictly prohibited. If cellular communication is necessary for a work-related purpose while a company vehicle is in motion and cannot be reasonably delayed until the vehicle is parked, the passenger/partner should handle the phone call.
If there is no passenger, (as in the case of a Field Supervisor unit), or if the passenger is occupied with patient care, and the vehicle operator must handle a work related phone call, the call should brief as possible and the driver should utilize a “hands free” device in accordance with applicable law.
Communication Center: Team members assigned to the Communication Center are permitted to carry a personal cellular phone while on duty, but it must be set to silent mode. Except in the case of a telephone system failure, team members are prohibited from making or receiving a voice call from a personal cellular phone in the Communication Center. All work related phone calls shall be made on a recorded phone line whenever possible. Personnel may step out of the Communication Center to retrieve voice mail messages and make personal calls with the approval of the Communication Center Supervisor. Personnel are permitted to use their cellular phone for a reasonable amount of text messaging so long as it does not interfere with work responsibilities. Texting is not permitted while simultaneously handling a work related phone call.
Camera Use
Patient privacy must always be maintained. Employees are not permitted to use the camera function of their cellular phone to take photographs or videos of patients, except as part of an approved Telehealth or other patient care scenario and with the full knowledge and consent of the patient. Photographs or video may be taken for documentation purposes, such as to show vehicle positioning or damage at the scene of a collision involving a company vehicle.
Amanda’s Law: Mass. General Laws c.271 § 51 | Mass.gov