The robot, made by Santa Barbara, California-based InTouch Health, allows doctors to virtually consult with patients, family members and health care staff from a distance.
The RP-6 robot is being used by neurosurgery intensivists to provide additional monitoring from their homes and offices of intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The initiative comes in response to studies showing that intensivist presence in the ICU can decrease morbidity, mortality, length of stay and cost of care.
The project, to be funded through an assistance agreement with the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC), will be led by professor and chief of Neurosurgery, Neil Martin, and associate professors Paul Vespa and Valeriy Nenov, all of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
According to InTouch, there is a nationwide shortage of intensivists, the physicians who specialize in the care of critically ill patients, so only about 37% of ICU patients receive intensivist care. Having intensivists in the ICU results in better outcomes and decreased length of stay in the ICU and hospital, as they are familiar with complications that may occur.
UCLA will be testing the RP-6 robot in an attempt to extend the reach of the intensivist. The patient interacts with the doctor through the 5.5 foot tall robot, which displays a live video image of the physician’s face on its monitor/head. The physician, seated at a computer console called a ControlStation, communicates with the patient through a live video image projected on a monitor.
The RP-6 robot will increase doctor access for patients, their families, and hospital staff, said Martin. We recognize that leveraging the health care expert’s time offers the possibility of improved patient care, reduced length of stay, and cost savings.
