GILES CO., Va. – Patients at Carilion Giles Community Hospital can expect to see two new robotic team members making their rounds this month.
“It’s very helpful to me to be able to call Moxi with a push of a button and then she’ll come,” said Chastity Fontaine, a clinical team leader at Carilion Giles Community Hospital.
The everyday demand for someone in the medical field can be beyond difficult.
“It’s rewarding but it can be exhausting,” Fontaine said.
Fontaine said though they are a smaller hospital, it does not mean they’re slow.
“We saw, I believe, 54 patients one day a couple of weeks ago, and so that was a tough day,” Fontaine said.
With the addition of two new robotic employees — the Moxi Robots – there is a bit less stress.
“Moxi kind of helps keep them at the bedside by doing nonpatient facing tasks such as delivery from pharmacy,” said Kristie Williams, Vice President for Carilion Giles Community Hospital.
The nurses at the hospital said they are excited to see how much this will help.
“It gives me back time,” Fontaine said. “I can move on more quickly to the next patient without having to stop, go deliver my things, come back, regroup and start again.”
Hospital officials said they are using Carilion Giles as a test run for more hospitals in the area.
“It’s easier to bring smaller groups together to work on projects like this and to kind of brainstorm ways to enhance,” Williams said.
Officials from the hospital said patients can expect Moxi to be zooming around, making its rounds from now on.
They said even though Moxi is just starting, she has already noticed a difference in the hospital.
She adds when patients see the robot, a little bit of joy can go a long way.