Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Robotic Patients Used to Help Train Doctors

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the but-doctor-this-patient-doesn't-have-an-off-button dept.

skeletor935 writes "Due to the increase in the number of medical students in Mexico, medical schools have turned to the use of robotic patients to assist in training." From the article: "The robots are dummies complete with mechanical organs, synthetic blood and mechanical breathing systems."

2 of 127 comments (clear)

  1. what by elohim · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The article is, of course, extremely light on details. The only difference between this and "SimMan" which has been in use for years and years seems to be the inclusion "artificial blood," whatever that means.

    Also, this is pretty funny: "I would feel nervous if this was (a) real patient," said Mendoza after drawing blood from a plastic arm.

    "With this (dummy patient) I can practice many times."

    Because jabbing a needle into plastic is just like jabbing a needle into human flesh.

    The sorts of simulators are very useful for simulating emergency situations, but aren't really suitable for things like surgery. It's nice to have the motions of checking pulses, barking commands for IVs and epinephrine, and setting up a defibrillator down pat for when a patient is crashing before your very eyes. Since there is very little actual manipulation of the patient, this is exactly for what we use SimMan (cardiac arrhythmias, emergency intubations, and the like). The monitor values (projected on a screen for all to see) are changed by a preceptor as you do things like move from nonrebreathing masks to bag mask ventilation or add a second IV. I just don't see how this would be used to do surgical simulation at all.

  2. Re:A comparison of Mexican and American health car by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Sounds like he got the "stupid tourist treatment."