Professor Praminda Caleb-Solly, leading research in Assistive Robotics and Intelligent Health Technologies at Bristol Robotics Laboratory, said “Southmead is one of the UK’s pioneering hospitals in its approach to technology, with robots already in use to transport supplies and support more efficient surgical procedures.”
“Robotics can enable a more effective use of the existing workforce, allowing humans to give the human contact and robots to be used as smart tools to support and complement their work. As such, they can improve the value that is added beyond what is currently available.”
Southmead Hospital currently utilises robots to conduct cancer surgery, dispense pharmacy medicines, transport supplies, and analyse blood samples.
NBT will now explore how emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and socially and physically assistive robots, could be used to better support patients. For example, socially assistive robots could give post-operative patients on wards personalise guidance to regularly eat, drink and exercise, helping them to recover physically and mentally in conjunction with their therapy team.
Robots connected to smart sensing devices could also be used to help patients recover in the comfort of their own homes. They in future may also be able to assist nurses and doctors back at Southmead when extra treatment or a visit is needed.
Mr Tim Whittlestone, Clinical Director for Anaesthesia, Surgery, Critical Care and Renal, North Bristol NHS Trust, said “We have an ageing population requiring ever more complex treatment. Technology gives our growing workforce massive opportunities to manage this and improve care.”
“Robots can help us do some of the more mundane, repeatable tasks and free up staff to do what they do best – listening, thinking and caring. They can also analyse data, helping us to really personalise treatment, care and recovery. There are constant developments so we need work out how patients and staff interact with the technology and whether it’s useful.”
NBT/UWE Health Technology will be a partnership to design, develop and deploy healthcare technologies. These will include assistive, rehabilitation and medical robots with smart sensing and digital health devices. The partnership will trial technology with patients and care staff, leverage benefits of shared facilities, and support and facilitate joint research and learning.
Southmead Hospital Charity recently funded a new second robot now conducting keyhole surgery for a range of cancers. This follows years of robotic prostate cancer surgery which has been more accurate, been less invasive, caused less blood loss, and reduced hospital stay from three days to one.
Twelve automated guided vehicles (AGVs) transport food, linen, medicines and other supplies around the hospital 24/7. Steered by GPS and operating lifts, they have quickened deliveries to wards and reduced injuries to porters.
The hospital’s pathology lab uses automated technology to move and test blood samples, after they are transported underground via pneumatic tube from wards. The hospital’s pharmacy also uses three automated robots to sort and select medicines for dispensing by pharmacists.
Clinicians are also exploring the introduction of an algorithm to predict seasonal variations in admissions to the Emergency Department, as well as AI-assisted reading of breast mammograms and decision-making on prostate cancer.
