QUESTION

It is the year 2024, and robots are being introduced to handle the screening of patients at physicians' offices across the United States. The robots are human looking and are able to speak and understand English and Spanish. The robots are capable of performing basic nursing tasks, such as taking a patient's vital signs. Upon arriving at a physician's office, a patient would meet with the robot to determine the patient's current conditions and symptoms and to review pertinent medical history from the patient's EHR. The robot would form a preliminary diagnosis and suggest a course of action, which could include additional tests, medication, referral to a specialist, or hospitalization. A human physician would then review the preliminary diagnosis and suggested course of action. If necessary, the physician would meet with the patient to confirm the robot's diagnosis and order any additional work or medications that might be necessary. The robotic physician assistant can be made available 24 × 7 and can even be stationed at convenient locations, such as shopping malls, schools, places of work, and college campuses. The goal of using of robotic physician assistants is to increase the number of patients that could be seen by a single physician, while also cutting patient wait time. You are on the administrative staff of a large physician group that is among the first to introduce robotic physician assistants. What sort of testing is necessary before the automated clinician can be certified as fit for use? What start-up issues might be expected? What would you do to make the use of a robotic physician assistant more acceptable to patients and to ensure patient care does not suffer?

Public Answer

GORGAF The First Answerer