Your doctor may soon be a robot, or so the whispers warn. Sound like something out of a bad sci-fi movie? Well, maybe you should ask the doctor on the screen of InTouch Technologies’ RP-7 Remote Presence Robotic System, a maneuverable robotic system designed to allow doctors to videoconference with their patients from remote locations.
Dr. Alex Gandsas, of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore and a stock option holder for InTouch Technologies, introduced the machine to hospital administrators as a way to closely monitor patients after weight-loss surgeries in which He specializes. Since its introduction, the length of stay for its patients has been shorter. In the Gandsas study published earlier this month in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 92 of 376 patients had additional robotic visits, and all 92 of them were medically cleared to return home faster than those who received no records. with the teleconference system. Shorter patient stays would be a welcome change for hospitals, health insurance companies and patients alike, all of whom have a vested interest in getting patients home faster.
While further studies undoubtedly need to be conducted by clinicians who do not have a financial interest in the technology, these preliminary results are promising. Gandsas did not use the robotic visits to replace his personal records with patients, only to augment them. Neither InTouch Technologies nor Dr. Gandsas envisions the “Bari,” or as it is known, completely replacing personal visits with healthcare professionals. Instead, the joystick-controlled system, which employs cameras, a video screen and a microphone, is intended to complement traditional physician visits and allow patients and health care workers to receive advice from qualified physicians and specialists when otherwise it would be impossible. Doctors may soon be able to give their patients additional daily check-ins and answer questions much faster, all while sitting in their own homes or away from the area.
However, Sinai Hospital is not the only one with this technology. In fact, robots have been used for some time to help with patient care, including guiding stroke patients through therapy and helping them play video games. Many prosthetic devices are now at least partially robotic, and were it not for a certain amount of robotic technology, the public would not be able to communicate with minds as brilliant as Steven Hawkins.
Johns Hopkins also has a robotic teleconferencing system to help communicate with patients who need a translator when one is not available at the hospital. The use of such technology could have tremendous positive effects on the Texas health care system, particularly in Dallas, Houston and Austin, which handle a high volume of non-English speaking patients. Lack of proper communication is a major barrier to quality health care for many immigrants in Texas. The lack of quality health care, in turn, can lead to serious public health problems, including the transmission of communicable diseases.
Approximately 120 RP-7 robotic remote presence systems are currently in use worldwide, with plans to deploy many more in the coming years. China is already using similar systems to help deal with the lack of health care in inaccessible rural areas.
Dr. Louis Kavoussi, chairman of the department of urology at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, took a particular interest in this new trend and conducted a study to monitor the effect of technology on patient care. The study did not show a decrease in patient satisfaction or an increase in complications due to teleconference visits. The technology, Kavoussi said, is really “rudimentary” compared to other systems under development. The need for fear is minimal.
There are relatively few of the InTouch Technologies systems available and no further studies have yet been done. However, if robotic teleconferencing is used as a complement to doctors’ face-to-face visits, it has the potential to dramatically improve many aspects of health care, from how quickly patients’ questions are answered to how many total visits they receive. to whether or not rural residents receive adequate care, to how well (or even if) they are provided with a translator to explain their symptoms. States like Texas, in particular, with a shortage of doctors and a high volume of non-English speaking patients, will benefit. So maybe robots in hospitals are not something to be afraid of. In fact, they may even end your unpleasant stay a few days faster.
Staying on top of medical technology is an important part of taking care of your health. How you take care of yourself will no doubt affect you as you age, and eventually your wallet as well.