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London hospital pilots Robots

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CIOL Bureau
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LONDON, UK: Remote Presence (RP6) Robots may now allow a medical expert to visually examine and communicate with a patient from anywhere in the world, via the machine, using wireless technology, while they can also be used for surgical teaching and even videoconferencing.

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The robots are controlled with a joystick from a remote site.

The doctor 'driving' the robot can view the patient, ask questions and read patient records, view X-rays and test results from the console, as an article in Science Daily reports.

The patient sees the doctor's image on the robots 'face'. Although the robot does not physically examine the patient it allows face-to-face contact between the doctor and patient, providing immediate access to specialists.

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As explained in the article, benefits include allowing patients direct access to experts worldwide and to the doctor who performed their surgery, even if they cannot be physically at the patient's bedside.

At the same time it is added by specialists that robots certainly would never replace all doctors on ward rounds, but will be a communication tool which allows a doctor to have direct contact with their patient if they are unable to get to them.

The robots are being trialed in a General Surgery Ward and A&E Department within St Mary's Hospital and for training purposes, at Imperial College's Academic and Clinical Skills Unit.

This is the only site in the UK and one of just a handful worldwide, including one in Europe, and three in the USA. The RP6 robots are the latest strand in the pioneering integration of robots into healthcare by Professor Sir Ara Darzi, Head of Imperial's Division of Surgery, Anaesthetics and Intensive Care and a practicing surgeon at St Mary's.

As part of the pilot, a study is being conducted to evaluate how patients respond to the robots, specific communications skills required for remote presence teleconsultation and potential applications of the technology in clinical healthcare delivery and training.