RoboDoc ready to get tough on disease

Irish Independent
Paul Melia
Wednesday October 07 2009

You've heard of Robocop, now here comes RoboDoc.

A robot doctor which allows a 'real' medic to make a diagnosis in patients located up to 100km away will be one of 200 'smart' ideas unveiled during the 'Innovation Dublin' festival which begins next week.

Tallaght, Mullingar, Naas and Tullamore hospitals will be the first in the country to have RoboDoc, or a remote presence (RP7) robot doctor, meaning that stroke victims will be seen by a specialist shortly after arriving in hospital.

Experts say that a person presenting at a hospital and suspected of having suffered a stroke must see a specialist as a matter of urgency, but few hospitals have a consultant available around the clock. But RoboDoc will provide the answer.

Essentially, a video camera, microphone and television screen on wheels, it is used in the accident and emergency department and allows stroke specialists to examine patients from a remote location.

Doctors can see and talk to the patient, observe and help conduct the assessment, view CT images and lab results and make urgent treatment decisions with no delays.

The doctor controls the unit through a joystick to change its vantage point, and the unit could be used for other medical emergencies.

Sensitive
"Treating stroke patients is time-sensitive, as studies have shown that some patients have a better chance of making a reasonable recovery if a clot-busting drug is administered within a four-and-a-half hour window," Dr Ronan Collins, geriatrician and stroke specialist at Tallaght Hospital, said yesterday.

RoboDoc is just one of the innovations on show during the festival which is aimed at positioning the capital as the "leader of trends". More details are on www.innovationdublin.ie.