Much of the technology we create has been and will be, developed out of the ambition to go beyond our natural skills. Accounting solutions, for example, were designed to automate bookkeeping at speeds far exceeding the human brain’s capability. The same can be said for the robots used in healthcare.
As the industry deals with rapid changes and increasing demands, the future of healthcare administration is constantly evolving, prompting the need for technological advancements that improve patient care. This is why healthcare institutions are now turning to robots to transform how surgeries are conducted, centralize supply delivery, and enable providers to concentrate on engaging with and caring for patients. But like machine learning and artificial intelligence, adopting robots in hospitals is relatively new.
So, it is no surprise that robots in hospitals are a foreign concept for most. Worry no more, as this article provides a comprehensive overview of robots in hospitals, their benefits, their purpose, and how they can help healthcare professionals.
Types of Robots in Hospitals
Here are the main types of robots currently being developed and implemented for hospitals and healthcare institutions to enhance care quality and patient outcomes.
- Surgical robots
Surgical robots are used in less-invasive medical procedures. Unlike other robots, they are usually mounted on the operating table or on a mobile base beside it. Either way, these robots can be helpful since they allow the appropriate penetration of medical equipment in a tiny operation space that is beyond human ability.
- Exoskeletons
Exoskeletons are robots that can help in recovery and assist with surgery. These robots help with gaiting impairments following neurological disorders, such as stroke and spinal cord injuries. They also provide repetitive, long, and intense physiotherapy sessions, reducing the healthcare costs for the patients and the burden on medical professionals.
- Care robots
Care robots are designed to support elderly and disabled patients. They can also assist nurses with several tasks, such as taking blood, improving patient hygiene, and recording patient temperature. In some cases, they can also help lift older people if they cannot get up, assist with exercise and mobility, and help them use the toilet.
- Social robots
Social robots provide patients, especially children and the elderly, cognitive support with their ability to communicate, offer encouragement, and demonstrate to patients how to initiate specific motor activities. These robots can perform their tasks with considerable autonomy while communicating seamlessly with clinical staff and patients.
How can robots help nurses?
Does the emergence of robots mean that nurses are expendable? Well, no. In fact, it’s the opposite. This is because healthcare robots can only assist but not provide the connection and communication every patient needs. Now that this article has established that nurses are irreplaceable, let’s determine how robots can help nurses do a better job and improve overall patient care.
- Robots improve nursing productivity
Optimizing patient care is something every nurse aims for, but with so many patients to deal with in a single shift, optimization can sometimes become an afterthought. By using robots, nurses can improve overall productivity and meet every patient’s needs.
These healthcare robots are programmed to perform several time-consuming and repetitive tasks. For instance, a robot can deliver blood draws to the laboratory and the required supplies on demand securely, reliably, and quickly.
- Robots reduce nurse burnout
Burnout is a common issue within healthcare circles because of the nursing shortage. According to a recent report, roughly 275,000 nursing positions were available in 2020, and this shortage is expected to last until 2030. Since robots can offload tasks from the nursing staff, they can help them combat burnout and do their jobs effectively.
Since human nurses will spend more time focusing on patients and less time running around the hospital conducting repetitive tasks, they will be better equipped to handle the rising demand for better care quality. Robots also help nurses focus on professional task engagement, improving their overall health and job satisfaction.
- Robots ensure consistent clinical workflows
The importance of consistency in healthcare is hard to ignore. This is something taught to every aspiring nurse while studying. The University of Indianapolis prepares its students to be compassionate nurse leaders with clinical proficiency by the time they graduate. As every good nurse knows, nurses must be consistent to allow for a patient-centered and value-driven health outcome. The advantage of using robots in healthcare is that they reduce the physical demands on human workers by ensuring supplies, medication, and equipment are available when needed.
Through this process, nurses can focus on human interaction and empathy to promote the patient’s long-term well-being. On top of everything else, using robots to carry out tasks also reduces the chances of nurses being exposed to hospital-acquired illnesses and pathogens.
- Improving care with healthcare robots
Healthcare professionals need more help than ever due to the rising medical demands. With healthcare robots at the helm, nurses, physicians, and other care professionals can deliver the appropriate care for every patient, thus ensuring better health outcomes.
