Nurse Robot, A Conspiracy Theory

[PintheD]

Many nurses feel scripting is insulting to those who are forced to recite, as well as the recipients of these canned insincere phrases. Currently there is a thread reflecting this exactly. I, too, find it insufferable for obvious reasons. I'm wondering, though, if this trend of scripting is not setting the ground work for something bigger that will change the landscape of patient care and set the world of nursing on its ear. Specifically, are we required to sound like robots to pave the way for robots? If I had read a post suggesting this two short weeks ago I would have ignored it as futuristic crazy talk. Not so today. Go with me on this...

My nephew is studying computer programming out of state. I picked him up from the airport before Christmas and then spent 5 hours in the car with him driving him home for the holidays. He talked. A lot. He's a very bright kid and I really enjoyed listening to him and conversing about the things that weren't over my head. We got on the topic of nursing and he casually states "soon robots will be doing much of that work". I was incredulous but later, when I had time to do a bit of research I found this:

http://www.switched.com/2010/10/29/actroid-f-nurse-robot-smiles-creepy/

A robot being developed to go around assessing patient satisfaction! Now I agree she looks more like a person pretending to be a robot but this company has won awards for this prototype. Yes, she has a long way to go before she is hospital-ready, but what is that time frame - next year, two years, ten years? And she is just the beginning. An additional cursory search revealed a prototype robot giving a (crude) bed bath.

Think about it. We, as nurses and nursing assistants, are an unavoidable expense to the hospital. Doesn't it make sense that huge R&D dollars would be spent to find a way around this? Personally I don't see this kind of technology infiltrating all aspects of bedside care but can see the possibility of it making a huge dent in current nursing functions. Again, timeframe? Don't know. But I think scripting could be a tool to pave the way for this eventual transformation.

Radical, I know. If nothing else I find this topic ripe for debate not to mention a further incentive to unionize now to protect our jobs in the future. What do you think?

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

My hospital already has robots that do a lot of the work people used to do. Robots come and collect the charts. Robots bring the food trays to the floor. No one [other than the people who invented them] is impressed by them. These machines and their maintenance arguably cost more than the sum of all the salaries of the people who could do these jobs.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Creepy......

[PintheD]

Fascinating KelRN215! I would be very interested to know in what part of the world, or country, you live.

Never mind! Just looked at your profile and see you're from the east coast...

I'm honestly shocked that you have this technology at your place of employment. Would you elaborate more? For example, do they look like metal machines or have more of a human quality? Thanks. I am oddly interested in this, obviously!

[dishes, BSN, RN]

I think robotics in healthcare will become more commonplace in the future. After seeing the evolution of computers in nursing, I think that the discussion about nursing and robotics is at the same point that nursing and computers were at in the beginning. In the future, I think nursing programs will offer elective courses, certificates and masters degrees in nursing and robotics technology, much the way nursing and computer information technology programs are offered today.

[MiaLyse, APRN]

It is scary. I was thinking the same thing after we began using electronic medication carts to pass medications with. The machines remind us of something out of Star Wars. Pretty soon, the machine will take the blood pressure and decide to give or hold the BP medication, do a CIWA check on a patient and decide Clonidine or Suboxone according to the score, etc.... Things are definitely changing.

[karamarie91]

Robots bringing meal trays to the floor?! That's creepy. Reminds me of I-Robot

[leslie :-D]

for nursing to be considered as a "caring" profession, the juxtaposition of robotic intervention, just seems to defy the very core of what a vital part of nursing is allegedly supposed to encompass.

i'm glad i won't be around if/when this comes into full force.

leslie

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

They look like robots. The one that collects the charts is a big box with a painted on face (not a human face) and it talks. It's really creepy, especially when it gets off the elevator by itself. The one that brings the meal trays is a choo-choo train and sounds just like it. They load it in the cafeteria and it's programmed to go to the elevator and get off on whatever floor it's meant to go to. Then an employee retrieves it on whatever floor it gets to and actually hands out the meals. It's not sophisticated enough to deliver the trays to the patients yet.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

HAhahaha.. that is hysterical!

MY function is astute assessment of the HUMAN condition and providing HUMAN compassion.

That will never be replaced .

What a waste of money.

[Flo., BSN, RN]

That robot is super creepy!

[martymoose, BSN, RN]

It's coming- anytime soon!

Could Robots, Humans Live Side-by-Side? - Yahoo! News