Health
Health and Cobotics : Driving time savings for healthcare workers
ISSUES
– A lack of resources and time
– Equipment shortages
– Near-constant excess activity, particularly due to the unprecedented pandemic situation
Challenges :
– Save lives & Make decisions
– Ensure the health and safety of staff and patients
– Protect staff and patients
– Save time and be responsive
Cobots: companions for healthcare workers
Due to demographic changes, healthcare systems are under growing pressure as they provide healthcare to an ageing population. What’s more, demand for care is rising as improvements in procedures lead to better results across a wider range of medical conditions. Costs are also rising, as the number of human healthcare workers is decreasing over time.
The application of robotics/cobotics
Is seen as part of the solution
Healthcare is viewed as a combination of three sub-domains:
– Clinical robotics: defined as robotics systems that handle the “care” and “recovery” processes.
Readaptation: this encompasses post-operation and post-injury care in which direct physical interaction with a robot system improves recovery or replaces the lost function.
Assistance robotics: this encompasses other aspects of robotics in healthcare processes, in which the main function of the robotics system is to provide support either to healthcare workers or directly to patients, in hospitals or in a specialised healthcare establishment.
All of these sub-domains involve the need to provide safe systems that take the clinical needs of patients and healthcare workers into account. They are generally used or implemented by clinically qualified staff.
Learn about the use cases of our cobotics solutions in healthcare establishments
Linen supply and collection
Reduce the distances covered and the MSD caused by handling linen carts
The Nantes University Hospital Centre* handles up to 45 tonnes of dirty and clean linen per day between its sites and the central laundry. I use HUSKY in autonomous mode for round trips between the various departments and the laundry.
(*testimonial from staff at the University Hospital Centre)
Automatic waste disposal
Reduce the distance covered for waste management according to the appropriate channels
Unpacking consumables generates several tonnes of waste every week. HUSKY in autonomous mode helps me handle the transport of different types of waste :
– Waste produced by care activities involving infectious risk
– Household and similar waste
– Recyclable or recoverable cardboard and packaging
Up to 99.99% disinfection of bacteria and viruses by UV-C
Ensure the health and safety of staff and patients
Because my department handles enclosed members of the public, my last teams leave the premises and I initiate a scenario for disinfecting all visible surfaces by UV-C to kill up to 99.99% of bacteria and viruses in just one hour over an area of 450 m².
Transfer of samples for laboratory analysis
Maximise the time allocated to patients
I have to transfer paper records to another department, a consultation, archives or samples for analysis. I call HUSKY, which is fitted with an adapted accessory (locked, temperature-controlled). It goes to the destination I tell it to on its own.
Réapprovisionnement des consommables et matériels médicaux
Save over 600 miles per year per person
I work in urology consulting, I ask HUSKY to perform the eight daily round trips between the consultations on the ground floor and the first floor to collect the cystoscopes from sterilisation (3 miles per day) and handle the delivery of consumables in the department (one to four carts delivered per week = 150 kg)
Delivery of meal trays to rooms
Reduce time off work from lower back pain caused by handling meal carts
I’m a hospital care assistant. I call HUSKY remotely and it comes to me in autonomous mode with its dual-temperature accessory + integrated and power-independent microwave. HUSKY follows me when I’m delivering meal trays to the patients in each room. Resupply shuttle between the central pharmacy and the pharmacies in each department
I’m a pharmacist and I submit resupply requests to the central pharmacy. HUSKY handles the trip with its secure cabinet on its own, under the pharmacist’s supervision.