Now it's Robo-Doc's turn to treat you

A robot has been added to the staff at Hatta Hospital’s Trauma Center and will be doing rounds from this week.

DubaiRobodoc was presented at the Interactive Health Forum last week and has only just started ‘working’. He already knows his way to every patient room, and will be providing a helping pair of eyes.

The man behind the screen is Moin Fikree, Medical Director of the Trauma Hospital at Rashid Hospital.

“When a doctor dials in, the patient will actually see me on the screen, while I can observe the patient,” he says.

“I can talk to the patient, observe vital signs, see the x-rays or CPG’s taken and examine the patient by asking him to raise his right arm, open his mouth, stick out his tongue etc.

“I can even listen to his lungs or heart.”

Based on the observations made Fikree can then make his recommendations.

“I can tell the doctor to apply certain medicine, and monitor the patient after the treatment was given. The patient is now out of risk and can be transported to Rashid Hospital.”

DubaiRobodoc was introduced to make specialist health care more available across hospitals run by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA).

As a start one robot has been deployed at the Trauma Centre Hatta Hospital, where no specialists are available at a 24-hour basis.

Especially at the Trauma Centre time can play a crucial role, the doctor explains.

“In case of a stroke, for example, the treatment should be given in three hours. Imagine a patient suffering from an acute stroke in his house. When he arrives in the emergency room half an hour was already lost. The patient must then be examined, and the specialist is not available he must be transported to Rashid Hospital. A lot of time will be lost.”

Although DubaiRobodoc is now the only robot available, more robots will be deployed in the future.

“This can work in all sorts of health related issues, such as a simple skin rash, for example. A general practitioner may diagnose it and refer the patient to a dermatologist.

“The patient then needs to make an appointment, go to another clinic, wait for the doctor, while the same practitioner can dial in with this technology, and the patient will be seen right away.”

Not everything can be done through the robot, admits Fikree. “There are some limitations. In some cases I will need to use my hands, and I will really have to see the patient. But I think it can be done in 75 per cent of the cases, if the patient agrees.”

Asked whether he will be able to handle the large number of patients now requiring his expertise, he says that these patients would eventually come to him anyway. “We would see these patients in any case, but we are seeing them in a different way now.”

The technology has been tested with simulated cases and is now ready to be used in reality. “We saw a patient who suffered multiple injuries after he was thrown out of a car. We diagnosed him, started immediate treatment and then ordered his transportation to Rashid Hospital immediately,” said the doctor.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.