Will Robots Impact the Future of the Medical Profession?

As a regular reader of medical equipment news, it is hard to miss the flood of new robotic equipment being introduced. It seems like every day another manufacturer releases a robotic surgical technique or therapeutic treatment. These developments may be exciting to patients who appreciate the precision and availability of robotic medical equipment, but the more advanced they become the more it could threaten the future of the medical profession.

Surgical robots aren’t the only threat to a traditional doctor’s livelihood. Innovations in electronic medical records and advancements in “telemedicine” are also changing the way medical professionals interact with patients. For example, in some rural areas and remote locations, robots are acting as “remote specialists” to administer care to patients who need a rapid diagnosis in a critical care situation.

In cases where a patient has suffered a stroke, these robotic specialists are able to communicate with a patient and a big-city hospital to determine the best course of treatment before the window of opportunity closes. With these robots, doctors can actually see and speak with patients directly using the robot’s video camera. They can also view test results and decide whether a patient is a good candidate for the clot-dissolving drug, tPA.

When robots can be used in situations like this, it’s easy to see why a physician or specialist would feel threatened, but the use of robotics in medicine is all about saving lives and making healthcare more accurate and efficient. They are also welcome news for insurance providers and medical equipment manufacturers. Even patients are getting used to the idea of robots in a health care setting. And while it is doubtful that the introduction of this new technology will have any real impact on job security for practicing doctors, if these advancements continue to progress this rapidly it could change the nature of the medical profession.

Twitter This