Robots see patients when doctor is out...
If the doctor is out, PinnacleHealth might give you an
appointment with a robot
Robot assisted Medicine
By David Wenner on
February 11, 2015 at 4:37 PM, updated February 12, 2015 at 12:12 PM
PinnacleHealth System is using eight robots in situations
where time or distance prevent the needed doctor from being in the room.
The robots are equipped with things including powerful
cameras which can provide a full view of the patient, or zoom in close enough
to even test the reflex of the patient's pupil. They can transmit video and
sound to a doctor located elsewhere, and enable the doctor to speak to the
patient and attending caregivers, who also can see the doctor.
Dr. Christian Caicedo said such robots are the
"future of medicine." Falling under the heading of telemedicine, they
will become increasingly necessary as things such as the aging of the baby
boomers and more people with health insurance stretch the supply of doctors.
PinnacleHealth has a robot stationed at J.C. Blair
Memorial Hospital in Huntingdon County, which is an affiliate of
PinnacleHealth, and which is located in a rural area where a specialist such as
a neurologist for a stroke patient might not be immediately available. In such
cases, the specialist can use the robot to examine and access the patient, and
do things such as order medication and tests.
PinnacleHealth is also using robots within its
Harrisburg-area facilities in non-urgent instances such as when a specific
doctor's expertise is required, but the doctor's physical presence is not.
Caicedo, an emergency room doctor and medical director of West Shore Hospital,
said a robot can allow a doctor to see several patients when, because of time
and distance, the doctor could otherwise see only one.
However, Caicedo said the intent isn't to replace
face-to-face patient care with robots, and called robots "an augmentation,
not a substitute." He said doctor-patient interaction will remain the
"ultimate" form of medical care. "This is not going to replace
me at the bedside," he said.
PinnacleHealth has several versions of robots, including
one that is self-propelled, and can be moved via remote control. Or tracks can
be placed on the floor to guide the robot from a storage area to patient care
areas. Doctors can control the robot and interact with the patient via
computer, pad or smartphone.
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