Address Staffing Shortages With Robots
Question: With staffing shortages in healthcare, are there any technological options to help ensure providers and organizations can still deliver care? New Mexico Subscriber Answer: Many technological options exist or are in development to fill in when a healthcare organization is experiencing staffing shortages. An option that comes to mind is medical assistance robots designed by Siemens Healthineers. Developed by Chiheb Dahmani, PhD, engineer, and his team at the Innovation Lab in Kemnath, Eastern Bavaria, Germany, the robot prototypes help with a variety of routine tasks around a hospital, such as gathering supplies and unpackaging items in the operating room (OR). “At Siemens Healthineers, we view robotics as a key technology for the future, not least to help address the severe shortage of specialist medical staff,” Dahmani says. One of the robots, named AURORA which stands for Auto Navigating Robotic OR Assistance, acts as the circulating nurse in the OR and delivers sterile packaged materials during the procedure. The robot’s cameras combine with a custom algorithm to enable the robot to detect obstacles, distinguish between providers in sterile and nonsterile clothing, and find objects as needed. Plus, the robot can recognize gestures. After the machine opens a sterile package, the surgeon or nurse can point to a location in front of them. The robot then brings the sterile material (still in the packaging) to that location where the provider can accept the material while maintaining hygiene. Mike Shaughnessy, BA, CPC, Development Editor, AAPC
