UCLA Medical Center Becomes World's First Hospital to Introduce Remote Presence Robots in ICU

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UCLA Medical Center Becomes World's First Hospital to Introduce Remote Presence

Robots in ICU

11 Mar 2005 Medical News Today

UCLA Medical Center has announced initial clinical tests of the RP-6 mobile

robot system in its neurosurgery intensive care unit (ICU). The RP-6 robot, made

by InTouch Health Inc. in Santa Barbara, Calif., allows doctors to " virtually "

consult with patients, family members and health care staff at a moment's

notice, even if miles away from the hospital.

Intensivists - the physicians who specialize in the care of critically ill

patients - in the neurosurgery department at UCLA are using RP-6 to provide

additional monitoring from their homes and offices of ICU patients 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 U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command,

Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, located at Ft. Detrick,

Md., will be led by professor and Chief of Neurosurgery Dr. Neil ,

associate professor Dr. Vespa and associate professor Valeriy Nenov, all of

the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

There is a nationwide shortage of intensivists. There are fewer than 6,000

practicing intensivists in the United States today and more than 5 million

patients admitted to ICUs annually. Therefore, only about 37 percent of ICU

patients receive intensivist care, yet having trained intensivists in the ICU

results in better outcomes and decreased length of stay in the ICU and hospital.

These specialists are familiar with complications that may occur and are

therefore better able to minimize errors.

UCLA will test the RP-6 robot as a way to extend the reach of the intensivist.

The patient sees, hears and interacts with the doctor through the nearly

5-foot-6-inch 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, also sees and hears the patient through a live video image

projected on a monitor. The ControlStation comes equipped with a joystick, which

allows the physician to drive the robot to the patient's bedside, control

movements of the robot's head and even zoom in to take a closer look at the

patient or bedside monitors.

" The RP-6 robot will increase doctor access for patients, their families and

hospital staff, and UCLA is excited to test the newest addition to our intensive

care team " said. " We recognize that leveraging the health care expert's

time offers the possibility of improved patient care, reduced length of stay and

cost savings. UCLA has combined our in-house electronic medical information

system, GCQ, with the RP-6 remote presence system, and we are able to monitor

and access our patients anytime from our homes and offices in a way not

previously possible. "

" The RP-6 robot will increase doctor access for patients, their families and

hospital staff, and UCLA is excited to test the newest addition to our intensive

care team " said. " We recognize that leveraging the health care expert's

time offers the possibility of improved patient care, reduced length of stay and

cost savings. UCLA has combined our in-house electronic medical information

system, GCQ, with the RP-6 remote presence system and we are able to monitor and

access our patients anytime from our homes and offices in a way not previously

possible. "

Global Care Quest, or GCQ, founded by , Nenov and Farzad Buxey, is a

commercially available, remote wireless mobile patient data system developed at

UCLA Medical Center.

Patient and family reaction to the robot has been very positive. In a study done

by s Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md., half the patients preferred a

tele-rounding visit by their own doctor to a " real " visit by another physician.

And 80 percent of the patients felt that the robot increased physician

accessibility.

Dr. Louis Kavoussi, vice chairman of urology at s Hopkins Hospital said,

" Patients love it! I was very surprised at how much our patients enjoy remote

video interactions via the robot. "

UCLA is the first hospital to test the RP-6 robot in the ICU, though more than a

dozen other institutions are using the robot to provide remote medical expertise

in areas such as emergency rooms and patient wards.

UCLA Medical Center ranks as one of the best hospital in the Western United

States for the 15th consecutive year according to a U.S. News & World Report

survey of 2,550 board certified physicians from across the country. UCLA Medical

Center is a nonprofit, self supporting 668-bed hospital providing patient care

in all medical specialties. It is the primary teaching hospital for the

Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. For information about clinical programs or

help in choosing a personal physician, call (800) UCLA-MD1 or visit

http://www.healthcare.ucla.edu.