What Are The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Robots In The Healthcare Industry?
According to the International Federation of Robotics, sales of medical robots increased by 73% compared to 2016 to 2,931 units in 2017, accounting for a share of 2.7% of the total unit sales of professional service robots. With the application and capabilities of Robots improving day by day, sectors such as healthcare and its associated fields are also adopting robots for accomplishing a variety of tasks.
Today robots are used for complicated surgeries, clinical training, medicine dispensing, personal care, and many other activities. Robot-assisted surgery or therapy is the most critical application of robots in healthcare. However, the demand for other services is also increasing significantly. Will the robots then take over human jobs? And what are the advantages and disadvantages of such a scenario?
The Applications of Robots in Healthcare are endless. With new features emerging every day, healthcare robots are expected to increase in quality, operational efficiencies, accuracy, and safety in healthcare service delivery. Surgeries, Clinical Training, Prescription Dispensing/sensitive materials, Care/Services, Disinfection and Sanitation, Logistics/Delivery, etc. are among some of the best applications of robots in healthcare.
The Benefits:
The high usage of robots in providing healthcare services is evidence of the fact that robots will be a common sight soon in healthcare. Robots are beneficial to both healthcare providers and patients.
Robotic surgery has reduced the risk of complications like developing an infection due to smaller incisions and leads to a shorter hospitalization time. Being less invasive, it also reduces blood loss, transfusions and improves the recovery time for patients. A robot also decreases the physician’s workload, while to the patients, it decreases stress and makes the process less scary.
The robots in the logistics, care, and disinfection segment are less expensive to maintain and easier to handle and train. They have provided remarkable service to the task, which is odd and repetitive.
The Drawbacks:
With substantial benefits to offer, employing robots to run tasks in healthcare is always accompanied by chances of errors and failures. These advanced robots always have some degree of possibility for human error or mechanical failure.
Any mechanical malfunction can cost a life, especially in the case of surgical robots, where even minor risks of infection and bleeding can not be ignored.
Another disadvantage of robots is the cost factor. Surgical robots can only be afforded by developed countries, research centers, and advanced hospitals. Many patients, too, find it difficult to pay for robotic surgeries. Similarly, the healthcare provider needs to spend a lot of money and time to teach the workforce about handling robots properly. Additionally, the lifetime maintenance cost of robots is another problematic factor.
