Debate: Robot doctors and patient experience

Debate-Robot doctors represent a
negative step in terms of patient
experience
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Today, technology has become much advanced that helps healthcare system to offer more
innovative and better services to people, for well-being. In such area, robots are one of the latest
invention in technology, which are being utilised in clinical setting across a wide spectrum
(Wood and Schulman, 2019). But rise of automation with replacement of human resource by
machinery, put negative experience on patients also. The present report is going to make an
argument about whether integration of robots within medical practices proves efficient of not.
For this purpose, an investigation is made to evaluate how patients experience well as form
impressions after getting robots care. Benefits and drawbacks of its utilisation is examined in
brief by emphasising upon the way robot care or represent patients.
With new advancement in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics, interest has grown
towards utilisation of such technology within health care sector (Hoorn and Winter, 2018).
Robots are increasingly designed in each and every field, to facilitate best management
applications. In health care practices, it plays a crucial role as social agents in terms of managing
geriatric conditions and chronic illness. Robots provide assistance via social means, instead of
physical ones by using social interaction through coaching, monitoring and supporting the health
promotion activities. In providing care to patients, it helps in reducing stress and providing relief
from different mood swings through therapeutic tasks (Gombolay and et. al., 2018). Robotic
medical assistants aid in monitoring the patient vital statistics, then alert nurses if urgent need for
doctor’s presence in room is required. It also allows nurses for monitoring health of several
patients simultaneously. Along with this, robots automatically enter the important information
related to patient’s health into their electronic record. Robot doctors are provided assistance to
medical team in surgery, as well as allows doctors for conducting operations surgery through
tiny incision rather than an inches-long incision (From Surgeries to Keeping Company: The
Place of Robots in Healthcare, 2019). This fact shows the effective impact of utilising robots in
different areas of medicine. There are number of factors present that shows positive impression
of patient after getting healthcare service from robot doctors. They can be optimised for disinfect
patient rooms, operating suites, reducing risks for them and medical personnel. Introducing
robots as doctors provide the biggest advantage in terms of all time availability. In context with
surgery, which refers to the most unpleasant experience for patients due to shortage of
experienced and high skilled doctors (Fosch-Villaronga, 2019). Therefore, they have to wait for
longer period for getting appointment for surgeries. In this regard, surgical robots like da Vinci
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Surgical system, are considered as boon for patients in providing them emergent services. As
these are featured with magnified three-dimensional high definition vision system, with tiny
wristed instruments, so, it makes able to bend and rotate more easily during surgery. This
provides 100% control to surgeons and with robotic systems, they can carry out accurate and
more precise operations (Chita-Tegmark, Ackerman and Scheutz, 2019). Similarly, robotic
nurses help in providing more secure environment to patients, by developing feeling of all time
monitoring of their health. They are designed in such a manner, that they can carry out
monotonous and repetitive task continuously. So, this allow human nurses to pay more attention
for taking decisions related to recovery and well-being of patient as early as possible, with more
efficiency. Robot nurse like TUG autonomous mobil delivery robot, might even can perform
numerous lab test with or without interventions of human medical staff (Wood and Schulman,
2019). Similarly, remote controlled medical robots like Anybots, Sam – The Robotic Concierge’
allow medical staff or doctors to make efficient interaction with patients, check out their health
problems, as well as fix appointments with human doctors for further appointment, if required.
Thus, it would in minimising time-consuming practices like visiting home to patients for
accessing their health. So, reducing the waiting time, cost of care, frequent check-ins or non-
medical care services etc. helps in raising satisfaction of patients and enhance their positive
experience as well, towards robot doctors/nurses (Hoorn and Winter, 2018).
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