St. Luke’s Heath System in Kansas City has introduced two robots, named Moxi, to assist with basic tasks around the hospital. The robots have been in use for nearly a month and are currently being programmed to deliver prescription medicines from the pharmacy to nurses’ stations. This new technology is aimed at saving nurses time and energy, allowing them to focus more on patient care.

Chuck Welch, one of the hospital’s nursing managers, explained that leveraging technology to help with daily tasks is not unique to the healthcare industry. However, St. Luke’s believes that robots like Moxi can play a significant role in addressing staffing challenges that hospitals face worldwide. The hospital’s public relations staff reported that the use of robots has already saved nurses 30% of their workday, enabling them to dedicate more time to patient care.

Moxi, with its chirpy voice reminiscent of the dog from the cartoon Blue’s Clues, has already delivered and retrieved 500 items for the hospital staff in just three weeks. The pharmacy operations manager, Connor Flanagan, mentioned that there is a shortage of pharmacy technicians, and the robot is meant to provide relief to the current staff by assisting them in their tasks.

St. Luke’s hospital assures that the robots are not intended to replace any jobs but rather to support employees in accomplishing their most critical tasks. The hospital is still evaluating the best ways to utilize this new technology effectively.

Sources:
– St. Luke’s Hospital
– Chuck Welch, Nursing Manager at St. Luke’s Hospital
– Connor Flanagan, Pharmacy Operations Manager at St. Luke’s Hospital