Meet Florence, the robot nurse. She takes vitals, brings medication, and even delivers snacks!
The successful evaluation of a robot that checks patients' vital signs at Alexandra Hospital in SINGAPORE has demonstrated that it is possible for a robot to ease the job of nurses throughout the year.
Florence, the robotic nursing assistant, can recognize patients by scanning their wrist tags or using image recognition software powered by artificial intelligence before taking their vital signs with the help of its camera, sensors, and pulse oximeter. The National Electronic Health Record receives the information directly.
Additionally, it can give patients their medication, snacks, or other items. It can determine which side of the bed a patient is closer to as it draws near, allowing it to move to that side.
Desmond Koh, the project manager at AH, who co-created Florence with NCS, Singtel's technology services division, explained that in order to determine manpower savings, AH took into account the time nurses spend taking vital signs and delivering medication and other supplies to patients.
Patients will see more automation and robots as these technologies continue to be tested to see if they can help with patient care and the shortage of healthcare workers.
Robotics and automation in hospitals can enhance workflows and free up nurses' time to spend with patients. The robot can free up nurses to perform other valuable nursing tasks, such as making home visits, according to Ms. Doreen Heng, AH's assistant director of nursing, who was involved in Florence's development.
Florence is part of a worldwide trend of incorporating robots into the workforce in an effort to ease the life of human workers everywhere, especially in stress-filled environments like hospitals or big chain retailers. Robots prove to be reliable and helpful, and they tend to brighten up any room they walk into.
