How Robots Could Help Hospital Staff Provide Better Care

It’s a balance between technology and human touch.

By Joy DiazJanuary 24, 2017 7:40 am,

When Kristi Henderson began her healthcare career in Mississippi, the unhealthiest state in the country, she recognized the potential of using technology to solve some of the state’s problems. By turning to telemedicine, Henderson was able to address the state’s issue of low per capita physicians.

As the current vice president for virtual care and innovation for Ascension Texas, Henderson continues to devise creative tech solutions such as Seton Medical Center Austin’s new hospital service robot, POLI.

“My goal is the help save precious hospital staff time so they can focus on providing human care to their patients,” says POLI, the service robot.

Though the robots will help save time with menial tasks, Henderson says that healthcare professionals will always be essential.

“It’s a balance,” Henderson says. “We’ve got to figure out where to use them, where it makes sense, where we don’t need to do that because it loses a personal human touch. So it’s how can we be high-tech and high-touch, and result in a good impact that is a lower cost.”

Written by Morgan O’Hanlon.