| Description� |
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.
Following robotic rounds, 77 percent of patients were
discharged on the first postoperative day, whereas none of the patients assessed
exclusively by bedside rounds were discharged on day one. The mean length of
stay was reduced from 2.33 days for the group assessed exclusively by bedside
rounds to 1.26 days for the group assessed by robotic telerounding. Early
discharge in the robotic telerounding group created capacity for an additional
71 patient/days, representing a total financial gain of $219,578 for 54 occupied
beds.In addition, a total room and board savings of $14,378 was realized due to
early discharge.
The report, Robotic Telepresence: Profit Analysis in
Reducing Length of Stay after Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass," will appear in the
July issue of the Journal of the American
College of Surgeons. In addition
to Gandsas, Mitesh Parekh, M.D., Michele M. Bleech, B.A., and Dalton A. Tong,
M.B.A., C.P.A., F.A.C.H.E., F.H.F.M.A., co-authored the article.
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore is a member of LifeBridge
Health, a regional health organization, which includes Northwest Hospital Center, Levindale Hebrew
Geriatric Center and Hospital, Jewish
Convalescent & Nursing Home, and related subsidiaries and
affiliates.
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