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Would you trust a robot to transport the blood sample you just collected to the lab? Nursing staff at Edward Hospital and Elmhurst Hospital in Naperville, Illinois, have relied on robots to run basic errands just like that for more than a year. Both hospitals are part of the Edward-Elmhurst Health System, Illinois’s third-largest health system.
The robots – named ‘Moxi’ – transport specimens, medications, and other supplies like telemetry boxes to various departments around the hospitals, according to a case study report by Diligent Robotics, the creator of Moxi. Nurses frequently send Moxi to the lab, central supply, and pharmacy. The health system started using robots in 2022 to address burnout among nurses and other hospital staff.
“One of the things I noticed when shadowing nurses during their day-to-day work is how often they get pulled away from patient care to go and run tasks, to go and get things. This is a huge dissatisfier for nurses,” Edward Hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer Trish Fairbanks said in the report. “They like to be with their patients, and Moxi running around for them is just super cool.”
The nurses at Illinois hospitals are not the only ones struggling with a lack of time with patients. According to a 2023 national nursing survey by AMN Healthcare, two-thirds of the 18,000 nurses surveyed reported not having enough time to spend with patients — a problem that has worsened within the last two years.
Moxi tracks the number of deliveries it makes on behalf of staff and the time it takes to run the errands. This data compilation gives each hospital the information it needs to determine if the robots are helping nurses save time. While logistics play a role in this new technology, robots are more than just computers for many.
Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California, started using the robots in September 2021. According to the hospital, the nurses use a hospital-issued phone to call or text Moxi for help, and the robot responds within five minutes. Moxi even waved to staff members in the hallways as it rolled to various destinations.
“I think it’s important to have Moxi present because they not only provide an opportunity to improve workflows and be more efficient, but they’re a fun thing to see around the halls. They feel very future-forward,” said Melanie Barone, RN, the hospital’s Associate Nursing Director, in the Cedars-Sinai news release.
Several hospitals across the nation also have benefited from the robots.
Medical City Dallas’ Heart and Spine Hospitals in North Texas adopted the robots in October 2020, shortly after reopening the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moxi not only run errands there, but also updates medical records instantaneously for staff members.
“She’s meant to be a team member supporting you in the background,” Medical City Chief Operating Officer Josh Kemph told The Dallas Morning News in a statement.
Diligent Robotics is an “AI company creating robot assistants that help healthcare workers with routine tasks so they can focus on what they do best: patient care.” The robots complete non-patient-facing tasks to allow clinical staff more time with patients.
Of the things nurses need to care for patients effectively, more time is at the top of the list. Diligent Robotics recently reported that from August 2022 to March 2023, Moxi robots made 7,298 deliveries at Edward Hospital and saved clinical staff 4,125.5 hours. Elmhurst Hospital’s numbers were even more significant – 9,813 deliveries and 5,345 saved hours from June 2022 to March 2023.
Staff and management had positive things to say about Moxi in the report. Suzy Garcia, a patient care technician at Edward Hospital, considered Moxi a part of the team.
“We can be with our patients more at their bedside instead of running off the unit to get something,” Garcia said in the report.
Hiral Patel, Innovation Program Manager at Edward-Elmhurst Hospital, addressed the positive impact that Moxi has had on the hospitals.
“A healthcare work[er] can spend about 30% of their day with these mundane, routine, time-consuming tasks,” Patel said. “The fact that Moxi can take over some of that is a huge efficiency for us.”
According to the report, Elmhurst Hospital plans to employ more robots to automate infusion deliveries at its outpatient cancer center.
Healthcare systems across the country are facing challenging staffing shortages, and Moxi is allowing more innovative ways to use resources most effectively. Nurses and clinical staff should be able to focus on the value of their work – caring for patients and spending time with them without feeling so rushed. Integrating Moxi in facilities allows nurses greater flexibility to accomplish these tasks.
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