[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6633\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EA robotic doctor is gearing up for action\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGetting a check-up from a robot may sound like something from a sci-fi film, but scientists are closing in on this real-life scenario and have already tested a prototype.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The robot at the remote site has different force, humidity and temperature sensors, all capturing information that a doctor would get when they are directly palpating (physically examining) a patient,\u2019 explains Professor Angelika Peer, a robotics researcher at the University of the West of England, UK.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Peer is also the project coordinator of the EU-funded ReMeDi project, which is developing the robotic doctor to allow medical professionals to examine patients over huge distances.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough a specially designed surface mounted on a robotic arm, stiffness data of the patient\u2019s abdomen is displayed to the human, allowing the doctor to feel what the remote robot feels. This is made possible thanks to a tool called a haptic device, which has a soft surface reminiscent of skin that can recreate the sense of touch through force and changing its shape.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring the examination, the doctor sits at a desk facing three screens, one showing the doctor\u2019s hand on the faraway patient and a second for teleconferencing with the patient, which will remain an essential part of the exchange.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe third screen displays a special capability of the robot doctor \u2013 ultrasonography. This is a medical technique that sends sound pulses into a patient\u2019s body to create a window into the patient. It reveals areas of different densities in the body and is often used to examine pregnant women.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUltrasonography is also important for flagging injuries or disease in organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys or spleen and can find indications for some types of cancer, too.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The system allows a doctor from a remote location to do a first assessment of a patient and make a decision about what should be done, whether to transfer them to hospital or undergo certain treatments,\u2019 said Prof. Peer.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe robot currently resides in a hospital in Poland but scientists have shown the prototype at medical conferences around the world. And they have already been approached by doctors from Australia and Canada where it can take several hours to transfer rural patients to a doctor\u0027s office or hospital.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022With the help of a robot, a doctor can talk to a patient, manoeuvre robotic arms, feel what the robot senses and get ultrasounds. Image credit: ReMeDi\u0022 height=\u0022425\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/Final%20USG.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022With the help of a robot, a doctor can talk to a patient, manoeuvre robotic arms, feel what the robot senses and get ultrasounds. Image credit: ReMeDi\u0022 width=\u0022695\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EWith the help of a robot, a doctor can talk to a patient, manoeuvre robotic arms, feel what the robot senses and get ultrasounds. Image credit: ReMeDi\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This is to support an initial diagnosis. The human is still in the loop, but this allows them to perform an examination remotely,\u2019 said Prof. Peer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETelemedicine\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe ReMeDi project could speed up a medical exam and save time for patients and clinics. Another EU-funded project \u2013 United4Health (U4H) \u2013 looks at a different technology that could be used to remotely diagnose or treat people.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We need to transform how we deliver health and care,\u2019 said Professor George Crooks, director of the Scottish Centre for Telehealth \u0026amp; Telecare, UK, which provides services via telephone, web and digital television and coordinates U4H.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis approach is crucial as Europe faces an ageing population and a rise in long-term health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Telemedicine empowers these types of patients to take steps to help themselves at home, while staying in touch with medical experts via technology. Previous studies showed those with heart failure can be successfully treated this way.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese patients were given equipment to monitor their vital signs and send data back to a hospital. A trial in the UK comparing this self-care group to the standard-care group showed a reduction in mortality, hospital admissions and bed days, says Prof. Crooks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018The human is still in the loop, but this allows them to perform an examination remotely.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Angelika Peer, University of the West of England, UK\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA similar result was shown in the demonstration sites of the U4H project which tested the telemedicine approach in 14 regions for patients with heart failure, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For diabetic patients in Scotland, they kept in touch with the hospital using text messages. For COPD, some patients used video consultations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Crooks stresses that it is not all about the electronics \u2013\u0026nbsp;what matters is the service wraparound that makes the technology acceptable and easy to use for patients and clinical teams.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It can take two or three hours out of your day to go along to a 15 minute medical appointment and then to be told to keep taking your medication. What we do is, by using technology, patients monitor their own parameters, such as blood sugar in the case of diabetes, how they are feeling, diet and so on, and then they upload these results,\u2019 said Prof. Crooks.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It doesn\u2019t mean you never go to see a doctor, but whereas you might have gone seven or eight times a year, you may go just once or twice.\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECrucially, previous research has shown these patients fare better and the approach is safe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There can be an economic benefit, but really this is about saving capacity. It frees up healthcare professionals to see the more complex cases,\u2019 said Prof. Crooks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/bit.ly\/newsalertsignup\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/news-alert-final.jpg\u0022 width=\u0022983\u0022 height=\u0022222\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt also empowers patients to take more responsibility for their health and results in fewer unplanned visits to the emergency room.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Patient satisfaction rates were well over 90\u0026nbsp;%,\u2019 said Prof. Crooks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-uafa7cyxmvtslipcosvkd6qqxvrtbkhckcq-7sb86t0\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-UAfa7CyxMVTslipCOsVkd6QQxVRtBkHCkcq_7SB86t0\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]