The uses of technology in medical healthcare facilities have grown exponentially in the past few years. The rapid increase in new technology is expected to continue increasing. As technology advances, the healthcare field is always growing, and they are making discoveries and coming up with ideas that will improve better services. Every day, the medical healthcare can come up with innovations or ideas that will improve the patients’ lives. The past few years have seen robots introduced in the field of healthcare. With the robot being involved in the care provision for the vulnerable in the society, it may affect how care is given to the patient, compared to the human to human care. This essay will analyze the use of robots in caring for the vulnerable in the society such as the elderly. The paper will also discuss the advantage and limitations of the introduction of robotics into the health care field. It will analyze the impact of the use of robots in medical health-care plan and how professionals and society view it.
Application of Robot for Social Supportive Care
According to the research done, robots have been developed to help deal with the care of the elderly. An example includes the Japanese Secom “my spoon” which is an automated feeding machine (Amanda " Noel, 7). There is an automatic electric bathtub “Sanyo” that washes and rinses. Another example of a recently introduced robot in the market is Robot for Interactive Body Assistance (RIBA), developed by Riken which is responsible for picking and carrying the patients from the bed to the wheelchair.
Robotics has been used as a contemporary self-care plan for the elderly at homes. According to Tobjohn, most of the countries are pushing for self-care, Telehealthcare, and home care to cut cost that arises from the establishment of social care. An example is an iROBIC robot which was developed by the University of Auckland. The robot was used for home care to measure the dosage of the medication required, blood pressure of the patient and the source of entertainment through images and pictures, pictures and quotes (Tobjohn, 14).
Benefits of use of Robots in healthcare
With the progression made in the field of technology, it has led to the development of the care for the elderly. An example is a Cyberdene, a robot that has been applied in the health care which detects the nerve signals and makes the movement that the person expects. Another benefit is that they help in walking practice. According to the writer, there is a new machine, the Honda, which has a new weight management system that provides walking assistance. Robots provide monitoring assistance. According to Tobjohn (14), robots render support for older people through the Body Area Network (BAN) that allow monitoring of vital signs such as clinical signs and symptoms. This is essential when providing comprehensive care solution for the elderly. Besides, telepresence robots have been used to provide care to senior citizens who are at Intensive Care Unit (ICU) while the clinicians are at home or on other shift (Tobjohn, 15).
When compared to Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), robots seem more effective in promoting social interactions with the care patients. There is no fear of effects that translate from animals to the human being such as scratches, infections, allergies, and bites. Robots are suggested to promote mental values such as happiness, joy, and relaxation which can be achieved through physical interaction (12). Robots make it easier to track and record patients data accurately. This is more so in an ICU setting where the robot can record and transmit the data to a professional anytime needed.
Implications of Using Robots in Healthcare
Though the robotic world has changed the medical healthcare world, there are some issues associated with the use of nursing-care robots. One of the implications is that, though robots are intended to provide care to the elderly, they are used as a cost-effective method. This is achieved by replacing the human caregiver. It is important to say that robots have become a real threat to employment opportunities within the health care setting. As you will notice, substitution of human workers in an employment setting is becoming a threatening concern.
Furthermore, according to Carsten, robots are resulting in human dignity issues. Humans are considered nature social animals, and thus they require regular interaction with human caregivers. Thus, the removal of the human caregiver and replacing them with robots may result in issues related to human dignity such as the happiness of the patient (Carsten, 3).
Another issue is that not all robots are autonomous. While the health sector may be focusing on providing the robots with more autonomy, that is the ability of a robot to function without the guidance of a human; more robots seem to rely on human guidance. For example, most of the surgical robots are remotely controlled by the surgeons meaning they still depend on human beings. Robots also lack human empathy. In recent advances, science is trying to incorporate human feelings into a robot system. This has not been successful, yet thus the robots integrated into the health sector lacks the moral capacity of dealing with issues that are ethical (Carsten,4).
Finally, nursing robots are generally equipped with surveillance equipment. This allows monitoring of the patient, collecting and storing data and communicating data wirelessly. Though this may seem to be an advantage, it can be used to violate patient privacy. (Carsten, 5)
Conclusion
Human and robots should have a place in the health system. However, for a successful coexistence, they should not be allowed to overstep other people’s boundaries. Robots can eliminate errors by providing precise data more efficiently. Moreover, robots can be used in areas that require repetitive action from the caregiver. However, as long as the human and robots understand their place in the healthcare world, then there is no reason as to why human beings should oppose the use of high technology in the care setting.
Reference:
Amanda Sharkey " Noel Sharkey. “Granny and the robots”: ethical issues in robot care for the elderly.
Bernd Carsten Stahl " Mark Coeckelbergh. “Ethics of healthcare robotics”: Towards responsible research and innovation. Montfort University, United Kingdom
Tobjohn S. Dahl " Magned Boulos. “Robots in Health and Social Care”: A complementary Technology to Home Care and Telehealthcare?
