When conducting rounds in a neonatal intensive care unit, using robotic telemedicine technology proved to be as effective as rounding in-person clinicians, according to a study in the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare.
Researchers matched twenty pairs of neonates with similar gestational ages, diagnoses and disease severity. One in each pair was cared for by the on-site NICU team and on-site neonatologist, while the other was cared for by the on-site NICU team and an off-site neonatologist using a remote-controlled robot.
There were no significant differences when analyzing patient rounding data, clinical outcomes, length of stay and hospital costs between the two groups. The only difference was the time the off-site neonatologist spent on patient encounters, with an average time of eight minutes, compared to five minutes for on-site neonatologists. Researchers attribute this extra time to operating and maneuvering the robot and the occasional dropped Internet connection.
Additionally, researchers found parents and NICU staff had positive reactions to the use of the telemedicine robots.
"As long as direct bedside care providers are available, remote-controlled, robotic telemedicine technology can be utilized by neonatologists to perform daily patient rounds in the neonatal intensive care unit," researchers concluded.
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