LOS ANGELES - Cell phones and laptops won't be allowed in UCLA's neuropsychiatric hospital in order to protect patients' privacy, hospital officials said Tuesday.

Dr. Thomas Strouse, medical director of Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, said concerns over the "covert use" of phones and laptops with built-in cameras led to the new policy.

Strouse said a patient recently posted photos of adult patients posing for a group picture to a social networking Web site. The photos were spotted by a nurse's family member.

The patients in the photo agreed to pose for the photo, but Strouse was worried about patients who did not give their consent, or "circumstances where someone's agreement to be photographed might not be well-reasoned or fully competent."

Since many cell phones and laptops come with cameras built in, officials decided to ban them altogether, rather than ask managers to check their employees' electronic gear.

Strouse said patients would still be able to communicate with friends and family with regular phones.

In a separate matter, a hospital official said Friday that UCLA Medical Center will fire, suspend or discipline some employees for snooping into the electronic medical records of Britney Spears.

The official would not say how many employees were involved. The Los Angeles Times reported that 13 workers will be fired, six were suspended, and six doctors were disciplined.