Doctors at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego www.rchsd.org recently introduced new telemedicine robots that put advanced video teleconferencing technology on wheels allowing physicians to evaluate patients quickly and from anywhere in the world. The robots were nicknamed “RadyD-2” by the employees and were manufactured and deployed by VGo Communications Inc.at www.vgocom.com.
Using a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, doctors are now able to interact, hear, be heard, and move around in any remote facility and able to visually examine patients without being physically present.
With satellite locations ranging from 20 minutes to more than an hour away, the telemedicine robots allow the hospital’s experts to consult on cases in a timely and efficient manner. Rady
Children’s now has funding to purchase 16 advanced robots. Some of the robots are already in use at the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit’s satellite locations.
Community partners providing funding for the robots includes Cricket Wireless which donated $186, 000 to purchase up to 12 robots. In addition, Cox Cares Foundation and Rest Haven Children’s Health Fund each purchased one robot that is in use at the Pioneer Memorial Hospital NICU in Brawley. Rady Children’s Auxiliary purchased two robots being used in the Southeast Cluster Unit and at the North County NICU at the Palomar Medical Center in Escondido.