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Can robots improve patient care in the ICU?

Remote presence robots are used in intensive care units (ICUs) to help critical care physicians supplement on-site patient visits and maintain more frequent patient interactions.

Physicians who employ this technology to supplement day-to-day patient care strongly support the positive clinical and social impact of using robots, according to a report published in Telemedicine and e-Health, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free on the Telemedicine and e-Health website.

"The integration of robotics in healthcare adds value to patient care and management of an individual's health," says Charles R Doarn, MBA, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal and Research Professor of Family and Community Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Ohio.

How the research was done

The survey article entitled "Utilisation of Robotic 'Remote Presence' Technology within North American Intensive Care Units" was conducted by investigators at InTouch Health (Santa Barbara, CA) and the Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine (Baltimore), found that most of the physicians utilising robotic remote presence in the ICU were more senior staff who specialised in critical care medicine.

The authors report that all survey respondents intend to continue using the technology and believe that it improves patient care and patient and family satisfaction.

(EurekAlert, July 2012) 

Read more:

1 in 2 ICU patients have infections

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