Interesting that you mention this topic.................
I just returned to Iraq on friday and was stopping in to say hi to my friends at the local Combat Surgical Hospital and we were discussing this new piece of technology. Ironically, many ER staff members and the trauma surgeon are opposed to the implementation of this robot; for several reasons. For starters, it's power requirements and size make it obtrusive in the trauma bays, especially in the smaller forward bases. Then there is the maintenence and sterilization issue to allow this unit in and out of the OR. The costs are astronomical!
There is also the age old issue of territorialism. Just like with any entity, some feel this robot imposes on their turf. To quote one surgeon, "why in the he!! did I go through 8 years of residency just to have some civilian surgeon drinking a cup of Starbucks looking over my shoulder!"
Many are also concerned about the communication issue. As mentioned in the article, communication must be without question or confusion. The jargon is different and the approach is different. The mass chaos is considerably less in a well established CSH hospital because there is no question of everyones position and what they are specified to do. They also function with considerably less people, thus reducing the chaos. If only half of the civilian trauma centers would adopt the military approach to trauma medicine, the level of chaos would be considerably reduced.
Now think if you were a trauma surgeon at a local "demographically challenged" public hospital. There are only a couple of you because no one else wants to waste their time for such little money. Now you are stuck at home watching your computer screen in addition to the 80+ hours you already work. I see major problems including a quick burnout with that aspect.
Not to change the subject, but why are we wasting billions of dollars bailing out auto companies who have already shown a track record of wasteful spending, when we could be utilizing those funds to improve our healthcare system? Sorry Detroit, but you brought it on yourselves! Bailing out the subprime mortgages was bad enough, but there has got to be a line drawn somewhere. Sorry, watching CNN this morning, had to vent...........................
