Efficient and timely pickup and delivery of medical samples is crucial for accurate diagnosis and patient care. Manual processes often involve delays, errors, and inefficiencies. The transportation of healthcare samples presents significant challenges with respect to safety, integrity of samples along with increasing cost and labor shortages.
The Storm in Healthcare Staffing
The healthcare industry is facing an unprecedented labor shortage that is impacting hospitals, clinical laboratories, and the overall delivery of patient care.
Projected shortage: By 2026, there could be a shortage of 3.2 million healthcare workers
This crisis is a complex interplay of several factors:
- Burnout and Resignation:The pandemic accelerated burnout among healthcare workers, leading to high turnover rates.
- Aging Workforce:A significant portion of experienced healthcare professionals are nearing retirement.
- Increased Demand: Growing population, chronic diseases, and an aging population are driving up demand for healthcare services.
- Education Pipeline Issues: A shortage of healthcare graduates is not keeping pace with the demand for professionals.
- Economic Factors: Competitive wages in other industries are luring healthcare workers away.
Here is a great article which also captures the essence of Healthcare worker shortages The impact of staffing shortages on healthcare organisations
Ottobots – A Catalyst for Efficient Medical Sample Pickup & Delivery
The Ottobots designed and developed by Ottonomy are currently catering to variety of Healthcare facilities, few of them are mentioned below:
- Hospital settings:Collecting samples from patient rooms, outpatient clinics, and emergency departments or within laboratories
- Clinical Laboratories :Delivering test kits to residents at their home and collecting the samples and bringing it back to clinical labs is something the Ottonomy team is working with Washington based Healthcare Clinical Labs
Ottobots at a clinical lab in Washington for test kit delivery and sample collection – navigating both indoors and outdoor environments
- Pharma & Research facilities:Transporting samples between laboratories and research areas from building to building bringing a sea change in reducing the number of driver and vehicles moving these samples in highly efficient and safe manner
Vaccination samples movement in temperature controlled boxes within Pharma facility
What the Ottobots bring on to the table for Healthcare
Ottobots, autonomous delivery robots by Ottonomy offers a solution to Pick and Deliver medical sample and kits within research facilities, hospital, or pharmaceutical manufacturing plant or Clinical Laboratories. Equipped with autonomous technology with seamless navigation in indoor, outdoor and its transitions through doors and elevators, they can streamline sample transportation and improve overall efficiency.
- Timely deliveries: Ottobots identify optimized routes, ensuring samples are delivered within strict timeframes.
- Chain of custody: With its integrated secure compartments, the integrity of samples throughout transportation is maintained
- Efficiency: By automating the delivery process, Ottobots free up human staff for other critical tasks.
- Safety: Designed with biohazard containment features and temperature control, Ottobots ensure safe handling of samples.
- Data-driven insights: Valuable data on delivery patterns and performance metrics
- Integration with laboratory information systems (LIS): Seamless communication for efficient sample management.
ROI of Robots for Healthcare Pickup and Delivery Use cases
Determining the exact ROI for robots in pickup and deliver can be complex and varies significantly based on factors like: Hospital or laboratory size and volume, Specific tasks automated, Robot cost and maintenance, Labor costs and efficiency gains, Error reduction.
Potential Benefits and Cost Savings
While specific ROI figures can vary on above factors in specific scenarios but a 50% savings on the manpower involved is clear across the use cases. At the same time here are some benefits and cost savings to consider:
- Increased efficiency: Robots can perform sample collection and transport tasks faster and with fewer errors than humans.
- Reduced labor costs: Automation can lead to a reduction in the number of staff required for sample handling.
- Improved sample integrity: Robots can handle samples with greater care, reducing contamination risks and improving test results.
- Faster turnaround times: Automated systems can expedite sample processing, leading to quicker patient results.
- Enhanced patient safety: Reducing the risk of exposure to infectious materials benefits both patients and staff.
Important Considerations
- Integration with existing systems: Integrating robots into existing workflows requires careful planning and implementation.
- Staff training: Employees need training to operate and maintain the robotic system.
Healthcare <> Ottonomy
Currently, Ottonomy is engaged with customers in leading Pharma facilities, hospitals and clinical laboratories in the United States. The usecases spread across
- Pick and Delivery of vaccine samples from building to building at a leading pharmaceutical facility in Massachusetts.
- Hospital medical samples pickup and deliveries. The environment includes – Indoor, outdoor and integrated with elevators in the hospitals.
- Ottobots are signed up for a clinical labs in DC for delivery of test kits and samples from lab to customer doorstep.
- Leading Healthcare laundry cleaners for movement of Hospital laundry within their facility.
With Ottobots on the frontline, the future of healthcare logistics is not just automated, it’s accelerated, ensuring that every sample finds its destination swiftly and securely, while human caregivers focus on what truly matters: patient care.