The technological evolution of an industry as we know it.
Robotics and digital automation are beginning to sweep through several major industry segments, but perhaps one of the most fascinating is healthcare.
Whilst advanced machinery capable of performing the most delicate surgeries was once the domain of science-fiction or simply a goal to aspire towards, the reality is that we are now living in an era where health services are on the verge of being transformed in very exciting ways.
A New Era
The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the necessity for integrating digital technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence (AI) software into everyday business operations and it is in this regard that hospital robotics forms a timely focus.
Far from being a competitor to human workers, robots in healthcare are a unique opportunity to combine the abilities of both humans and people to achieve significantly better outcomes for patients.
A Better Way
For example, in a typical 200-bed hospital, equipment and waste is transported just under 400 miles per week. It is estimated that the use of automated mobile robots reduces the cost per delivery by 50-80% and reduces the average distance of 3-4 miles that a nurse walks each day. Robots also help to reduce back injuries from lifting in hospital personnel and give nurses more time to concentrate on patient care.
Robotics are listed as among the nine technologies most likely to transform the financial and operational standards of health services by generating between USD$350bn and $410bn in annual value by 2025.