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The Robo-Docs Are Coming to Your Hospital Bed Soon
By Tucker Sutherland, editor
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Busy making
the rounds, Garth H. Ballantyne, M.D., chief of Minimally
Invasive Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center and
professor of Surgery at UMDNJ, makes the rounds without leaving
his office via the InTouch Health’s RP-6 for Remote Presence
robot, Mr. Rounder. Patient, Veronica Mathieson of Clifton,
carries on a live conversation with Dr. Ballantyne as his image
is displayed on a flatscreen computer monitor. |
May 18, 2005 – You are a senior citizen if you
remember when doctors made house calls. Now, however, you have lived
long enough to see mechanical robots filling in for your doctor. That’s
right, robo-docs are making rounds in several U.S. hospitals and now in
London. The robot-maker says it is because the elderly are packing the
hospitals.
At St. Mary’s hospital in London the robots are
named “Sister Mary” and “Dr Robbie.” In Kansas City the untiring doc is
named “REMi.” Hackensack University Medical Center prefers to call their
robot “Mr. Rounder.”
Patient and family reaction to the robot has been
very positive, according to reports from the institutions now using
them. Here are a few -
> The robots at St. Mary’s in London
are in a General Surgery Ward and A&E Department within St Mary's and
are used for training purposes, at Imperial College's Academic and
Clinical Skills Unit. This is the only site in the UK and one of just a
handful worldwide, including one in Europe, and three in the USA,
according to their announcement today.
> In March, UCLA Medical Center
announced initial clinical tests of the RP-6 mobile robot system in its
neurosurgery intensive care unit. The robot in Santa Barbara, Calif.,
allows doctors to "virtually" consult with patients, family members, and
health care staff at a moment's notice, even if miles away from the
hospital.
> The Detroit Medical Center in March launched an unprecedented
mobile robot initiative that allows its physicians to interact with
patients on demand and from remote locations. The DMC will deploy 10
mobile robots throughout six of its hospitals, the largest such
deployment in the nation.
> Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Kansas City
announced in March that is the first hospital in the Midwest, and one of
only 10 hospitals throughout the nation, to utilize a robot to increase
patient–physician communication – improving physician efficiency,
quality of care and patient satisfaction. They call their robot REMi.
> The sophisticated mechanical
physician, Mr. Rounder, made its debut at Hackensack University Medical
Center last December.
"Patients love it! I was very surprised at how much
our patients enjoy remote video interactions via the robot," said Dr.
Louis Kavoussi, vice-chairman of urology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. In a
study done by Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md., half the
patients preferred a tele-rounding visit by their own doctor over a
'real' visit by another physician. And, 80 percent of the patients felt
that the robot increased physician accessibility.
“The robot provides physicians with an opportunity
to increase physician-to-patient communication, which is crucial for
consistently delivering high quality care,” said Joseph Petelin, MD,
FACS, a general surgeon who regularly uses the robot to communicate with
Shawnee Mission patients during evenings and weekends. “REMi offers both
physicians and patients increased access to each other beyond
traditional in-room visits.”
Remote Presence (RP-6) Robots, sold by InTouch
Health, Inc., allow a medical expert to visually examine and communicate
with a patient from anywhere in the world. RP-6, the 5-foot 4-inch robot
has a flat-screen computer monitor mounted on top.
Connected to the Internet via a hospital’s secure
wireless network, the system includes a two-way video feed, a microphone
and a speaker. When in use, the robot is guided by a physician using a
joystick from a computerized control station in another location, most
often the physician’s home or office.
The robots are controlled with a joystick from a
remote site. The doctor 'driving' the robot can view the patient, ask
questions and read patient records, view X-rays and test results from
the console. The patient sees the doctor's image on the robots 'face'.
Although the robot does not physically examine the
patient it allows face-to-face contact between the doctor and patient,
providing immediate access to specialists.
“There is a demographic crisis in healthcare,” says
InTouch Healt. “Over the next 10 years the number of elderly age 85 and
over will grow 38% doubling the number of seniors requiring healthcare
support.
“Already today there are over 400,000 unfilled
nursing positions causing hospitals across the country to close wings or
risk negative outcomes. Over the coming years, the declining ratio of
working age adults to elderly will further exacerbate the shortage. In
1950 there were 8 adults available to support each elder 65+, today the
ratio is 5:1 and by 2020 the ratio will drop to 3 working age adults per
elder person. Technology solutions which dramatically increase the
effectiveness of healthcare professionals are required.”
InTouch Health says it is addressing this challenge
by pioneering the use of “Remote Presence” in healthcare. “Through our
proprietary communications and mobile robotic platform, caregivers can
be projected to another location where a patient or caregiver is located
to provide care, coach and train staff, or monitor healthcare services.
The InTouch Health solution leverages the time and expertise of
healthcare professionals across many care facilities improving the
efficiency and effectiveness of care delivery,” they say.
Parv Sains, project leader at St. Mary’s, said
benefits include allowing patients direct access to experts worldwide
and to the doctor who performed their surgery, even if they cannot be
physically at the patient's bedside.
"If a specialist is at a conference in California
but their medical opinion is needed for a St Mary's patient or to
deliver a lecture to junior doctors the RP6 robot provides an instant
and global link at any time of the day or night.
"Our robots certainly would never replace all
doctors on ward rounds, but they are a communication tool which allows a
doctor to have direct contact with their patient if they are unable to
get to them.
"If we look at a lot of the current strains on the
NHS many senior doctors with skills and knowledge are required to be in
several places at once. This is a solution in potentially providing
their expertise from a remote location and may be a significant step for
patient care."
The sophisticated mechanical physician is made its
debut at Hackensack University Medical Center last December. As part of
an initiative to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care, the
medical center introduced InTouch Health’s RP-6 for Remote Presence,
“Mr. Rounder,” dubbed affectionately by staff, as part of the services
available to patients.
Dr. Garth H. Ballantyne, chief of Minimally
Invasive Surgery at the medical center and professor of Surgery at UMDNJ,
is the first to “test drive” Mr. Rounder at Hackensack University
Medical Center. He is able to make his rounds off-site or from his
office anytime of the day via a laptop computer connected to the
Internet via broadband and a wireless network.
The connection is a sophisticated secure encrypted
connection – completely HIPPA compliant. The robot has a two-way video,
and 24-infrared sensors to navigate its travels. Dr. Ballantyne’s image
is displayed on a flat-screen computer monitor mounted on top of the
robot. The screen rotates 340 degrees and pivots up and down creating
personalized mechanical affectations.
He views the patient and surroundings through a
video camera located above the monitor allowing live interactive
communication. Of course in the meantime, patients continue to be
monitored by the medical center’s Magnet award winning nursing staff.
“The robot is remarkably personal. It provides
virtual communication and patients really like him. It has received an
enthusiastic response,” said Dr. Ballantyne. “In essence, we are
providing extra coverage patients might not ordinarily get. I am now
able to dial up, connect, and see my patients when family members are
visiting. Driving the robot into the room is more personal than a phone
call from my office.
Mr. Rounder also provides access to electronic
patient files. “I can view vital signs, CT scans, blood tests - much of
the technical data needed for patient care,” noted Dr. Ballantyne.
At the UCLA Medical Center the robot allows doctors
to "virtually" consult with patients, family members, and health care
staff at a moment's notice, even if miles away from the hospital.
Intensivists in the neurosurgery department at UCLA are using RP-6 to
provide additional monitoring from their homes and offices of ICU
patients in response to studies showing that intensivist presence in the
ICU can decrease morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and cost of care.
About InTouch Health
InTouch Health™ is a privately held company based
in Santa Barbara, CA. InTouch Health provides technology solutions which
dramatically increase the effectiveness of health care professionals.
The company is addressing the impending demographic crisis in acute care
by pioneering the use of Remote Presence™ in health care with its RP-6™
robotic system.
Through a proprietary communications and mobile
robotic platform, skilled medical professionals are projected to other
settings where a patient or caregiver is located to provide care, coach
and train staff, or monitor health care services. The InTouch Health
solution leverages the time and expertise of healthcare professionals
across multiple care facilities, improving the efficiency and
effectiveness of care delivery. For more information about the company,
please visit www.intouchhealth.com
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