only robot to offer a self-driving mode , which allows you to maneuver around any space with a single click . The robot was built with a robust array of cameras and sensors working together with object detection artificial intelligence , allowing it to map out safe driving surfaces as well as people , furniture , and other physical objects which it will avoid .”
The technology is impressive , to be sure . More importantly , it ’ s a versatile tool for preparing the next generation of nurses and other healthcare professionals .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) defines telehealth as the use of two-way telecommunications technologies to provide clinical healthcare through a variety of remote methods . In February 2020 , as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to grow in the United States , the CDC advised healthcare providers to offer clinical services through virtual means such as telehealth . According to the CDC , during the first quarter of 2020 , the number of telehealth visits increased by 50 percent , compared with the same period in 2019 , with a 154 percent increase in week 13 of 2020 , compared with the same period in 2019 .
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A nurse who is a lifelong learner is also an intelligent , safe nurse , and that is exactly what our community needs .
Dr . Amber Santos , Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing
“ Crisis can serve to push us beyond our comfort zone , forcing us to innovate out of necessity ,” says Dr . Mark Tillman , Dean of the Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences . “ We saw this happen so often throughout the pandemic , whether it was video conferencing or curbside grocery pickup . Many of those tools already existed , but the pandemic accelerated adoption , and people will continue to use them . As educators , our technology in the classroom and in applied learning settings must stay one , two or three steps ahead of our current reality -- anticipating what comes next and preparing students to face it successfully .”
While the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of telehealth technology across the healthcare industry , Santos says nurses and other healthcare professionals do not always feel adequately trained to use it .
“ The overall goal of these robots is to familiarize our students with technology they will likely interact with at some point in their career ,” says Santos .