What do you think? They make a big point about how robots can make a run to the pharmacy to pick up meds, bring meal trays, etc., but why don't they hire people to do these extra tasks that use up so much of the nurse's time?
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The world is dealing with a nursing crisis.
One answer may be robots. Not to replace RNs but to help them in tasks that take their time away from patients. One of them is Moxi, a robot that may fast become a nurse's new best friend.
Now if I could say "Alexa, help me with all my boosting and Q2 hour turns, cosign all the meds that need cosigning, page the pharmacy to find out where that med I need is, and do my charting" would be a robot worth its value.
Bringing trays (which I would need to set up anyway) and running to pharmacy (when we have a tube system) does not really touch what nurses really need.
Having fewer nurses on the floor will most likely lead to more physical work for those who are part of this "three-person care team model." I only count 2 people, two people who will need to do most of the work.
If a robot could be programmed to provide hands on care to demanding, entitled patients who think they are more important than they are, that would be great, because no human wants to go in a room like that.
I can see the benefit of a virtual nurse for patient teaching. Answering call lights sounds like the system already in place where the patient used the call light, and a disembodied voice tell him that they will contact his nurse.
Having an experienced virtual nurse as back-up for a new nurse would be good.
We are actually in the process of launching a robot to *assist with* discharge education teaching. I am very excited to see how she works - I hope she saves us time because discharge education on our unit is long.
And so it begins, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I remember when those self checkouts started popping up at the grocery stores a little over a decade ago, they were few and far between and not many people used them, people were used to the old way of doing things. Now it's gotten to the point where checkout registers with humans working at them are non-existent, and not just at grocery stores, at fast food places like McDonald's too. The only time I encounter human cashiers is at the gas station and even those are coming out with the self checkout registers. Is this because they can't find help or because they want to maximize profits by finding ways to do more with less?
I'm not a gloom and doom person, I always look for the silver lining, but look at what hospitals have been doing to nurses for decades. The understaffing has been intentional to maximize profits and then they turned around and told the public they didn't have enough nurses when in actuality, they did, they just didn't hire nurses for the empty positions to give the appearance of a nursing shortage. As much as I want to think their intentions are good, and that they just want to take the burden off the nurse so that the patient experience is more positive, I've worked in healthcare and know this likely isn't the case. It's the frog in the pot of water. At first they bring the robots in "just to help, to do things like go to the pharmacy, and bring a patient a meal tray." Initially patients will probably be freaked out and against it, just like the self checkout registers that nobody used to use in their early days. But once the patients warm up to the idea and the initial shock factor is gone, it will be interesting to see where this ends up in 10 years. Especially with strides being made in robotics and artificial intelligence. Elon Musk is creating some kind of humanoid robot as we speak. And this is just my opinion, but I think if hospitals had an alternative to the expense and hassle of trying to hire and retain nursing staff, they would take it.
We are actually in the process of launching a robot to *assist with* discharge education teaching. I am very excited to see how she works - I hope she saves us time because discharge education on our unit is long.
For teaching, I can see how useful a video link with an experienced nurse would be. But you are talking about a robot to help with teaching. Is this something like an interactive video?
I dislike the interactive videos that we have to endure as part of our ongoing staff education. They bring to mind the educational pamphlets that are dumbed down to the reading skill of a 10-year-old. A robot that teaches at this level would be insulting and time-consuming.
Perhaps I'm being too harsh. I am interested to hear how she works out.
Maybe I am a wishful thinker but I hope one day charting can just be replaced with an audio video system that captures all we do. That would save a lot of time.
Maybe I am a wishful thinker but I hope one day charting can just be replaced with an audio video system that captures all we do. That would save a lot of time.
No thanks. I wouldn't have time to watch a video when I need a specific piece of information. However, if we could just speak what needs to go into the chart - and if it would accurately record our words - that would be helpful. I have something like that on my cell phone . . . but it isn't accurate.
If a robot could be programmed to provide hands on care to demanding, entitled patients who think they are more important than they are, that would be great, because no human wants to go in a room like that.
I think The Simpsons said it best "Elder care not even a robot wants to do that!" - The Miseducation of Lisa Simpson: Season 31; Episode 12; 2/16/2020
This is an interesting post, as I created a paper in one of my Master's Courses addressing this issue.
The short version is: robots aren't going to replace us. Due to overhead, patients satisfaction, it's not going to happen. Humans-even though humans can be "peopley”-actually WANT humans to provide care for them. Also due to technology nativity-meaning most people may be online but lack the adequate knowledge of technology and financial teeth to be full-on technology savvy, or don't like the issues brought on like hacking-you're going to need humans to do nursing. If anything, we should get ahead on what technological advances can benefit our profession, become knowledgeable of what changes that may come (granted may be little to some), and advocate and have a seat at the table when it comes to what would benefit us and our patients as a whole.
Best use of "Moxi" would be to relieve some of the people sitting in meetings all day. It could just sit there and blink and a lot less harm would be done.
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Kitiger, RN
1,834 Posts
Having fewer nurses on the floor will most likely lead to more physical work for those who are part of this "three-person care team model." I only count 2 people, two people who will need to do most of the work.