A study conducted at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore found that robotic telerounding may significantly reduce the length of stay of patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery if used to supplement standard postoperative visits, or "rounds," made by surgeons.
The results of this study are published in the July issue of the Journal of American College of Surgeons.
“One of the crucial keys of delivering the high-quality care patients have come to expect at Sinai is communication. The technology used in the robotic telerounding offers both physicians and patients increased access to each other beyond traditional in-room visits,” said Alex Gandsas, M.D., lead investigator and head of the Division of Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Sinai Hospital.
The 5-foot, 5-inch robot, displaying the doctor's face on a 15-inch screen, is guided by a joystick from a computerized ControlStation, in patient rooms, emulating an on-site experience. With on-board, two-way cameras, microphones, and wireless technology, physicians are able to review charts, current lab work and X-ray results without physically being in the hospital.
"We know from previous studies that patient satisfaction was high with robotic telerounding, but we wanted to learn if it also could deliver cost savings, and there's no question it does," said Gandsas.
The study evaluated 376 patients who underwent a laparoscopic gastric bypass for morbid obesity. Of those patients, 284 were assessed by standard bedside physician rounds during the postoperative period. A second group of 92 patients were assessed by traditional surgeon bedside visits, supplemented by robotic telerounding. Patients who suffered from postoperative complications during the same admission were omitted from the study.