Is There a Robot in the House?

Imagine instructing your patients to tell their problems to a little yellow, happy-faced, big-blue-eyed robot instead of you. On the face of it, it seems an obvious way to reduce costs—no salary for the robot, no health insurance and no 401(k). And the robot does not take up space in the hospital or office. It is a home-body.

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The Robot Will See You Now: Can Medical Technology Be Professional?

Article published in Vol. 32.3 Fall 2016 Ethics and Medicine by William Cheshire, JR, MD about the problems with the term “provider” instead of “professionals.”

As innovative technology replaces more and more of what physicians do, the question arises whether there is any limit to the potential medical capabilities of technology at the bedside. Drug-dispensing kiosks, robotic surgery, computerized sedation devices, and other novel medical technologies bring practical advantages while also raising philosophical questions about the nature of the relationship between the patient and technology that serves as a proxy for the healthcare professional.

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