author
Stacey Butler
Marketing Senior
SYNOPSIS
The goal of this article is to inform those who are unaware of the recent advances in a new industry called telemedicine. In particular, sharing the story of a robot named Rudy who is helping both doctors and patients at UC Davis.
SOURCES
UC Davis School of Medicine . Rudy the Robot makes “telerounds” www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/ ucdavismedicine
UC Davis Health System. Eye A Robot. www. Ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/ newsroom/ releases/archives/other /2004/rudyrobothtml
University of California Davis Medical Center . UCD Medical Center Tests Robot That Brings Your Doctor To You After Surgery. www.sciencedaily.com
ABC News. With Doctors Pressured To See More Patients, Technology Comes To The Rescue. Abcnews.go.com.
Public Affairs Office. UC Davis Taking Part In Study of Robot Assistants. www.lanl.gov/news/ index
Features of rudy the robot
Rudy stands five feet one half inch tall and weighs roughly 200 pounds as she makes her way around the eighth floor of UC Davis Medical Center. The robot has a small video camera and microphone attached to its body, which allows the doctor who is controlling it to see and hear patients. The robot's camera eyes, which have an ability to look up, down and 360 degrees around, allow the doctor in charge to easily zoom in on vital signs and inspect surgical incisions sites. About the only thing it can't do is plug itself back in to recharge its battery.
advantages of using rudy
Using Rudy allows doctors to communicate with patients no matter where they are. Doctors do not have to be in the hospital to assess a patient's recovery, due to the advancements in technology such as Rudy, doctors can be at a remote location and still stay in touch with patients. Rudy can also help to protect physician safety when a patient has a highly infectious disease or is suffering from biochemical exposure. Thanks to Rudy even when the doctor is not in the same room doctor and patient can see and hear each other, and the robot's camera can zoom in to provide a view of the patient's vital signs and surgical incision. Rudy allows patients to be comfortable knowing that they are talking to the doctor who performed their procedure instead of a doctor who has only read their charts and was not present during their operation. Even if the patient is using an electronic form of communication, they are still able to keep in contact with their personal doctor. Rudy is so self sufficient that it has been reported that they only thing it can't do s plug itself back in to recharge its battery. However, its Santa Barbara based manufacturer is apparently working on that solution too.
rudy across america
UC Davis is only one of four sites in the United States participating in a scientific study to determine if a robot, such as Rudy, is a useful and safe complement to the standard care following surgery. At UC Davis, urologist Lars Ellison is studying whether a surgeon can adequately assess patients from a remote location using a machine. Ellison participated in an earlier study at Johns Hopkins Hospital , which found that patients prefer seeking their own doctor following surgery rather than a physician they don't know, even if their doctor only visited them via robot. As studies are going on across the country, scientists will be able to see if Rudy has an advantage in working with patients, and will also see if there are any demographic changes based on the different areas Rudy works in. The robotic tele-rounding project is the first in a series of planned studies examining the potential roles this technology could assume in academic and rural health care.
TELEMEDICINE IN THE FUTURE
Despite Rudy's impressive technology, a robot such as her is not designed to replace people or the personal visit from a physician. Rudy is simply another form of telemedicine which is becoming increasingly important because it can enhance the quality of care by helping doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals do their jobs more efficiently and effectively. This is the goal of telemedicine, to enhance patient care. Robotics are also moving into the operating room in a New York based hospital, where a robot acts as an automated scrub nurse. These advances, as Dr. Ellison puts it, “It doesn't make me a better doctor, it makes me a more available doctor. If that's better, great.”