RALEIGH, N.C. -- The staff at Duke Raleigh Hospital is getting a boost from a robot. 

 

What You Need To Know


  • Duke Raleigh Hospital is using a robot to allow rounds to be done from home

  • The robot is called the JaMMeR

  • This is the first clinical trial

 The robot is named the “JaMMeR” and it is helping patients and their families as they navigate the ICU. 

“I believe using the robot is bringing some joy to them,” said hospital case worker Jill Galuten.

The JaMMeR allows Galuten to do her work at the hospital while sitting in the comfort of her home. 

“I’m able to participate in rounds, I’m able to talk to the nurses at the bedside and I’m able to visually see my patients,” she said.

The visits come via an iPad instead of over the phone.

She is the only un-masked face in the hospital. 

“When I go in, they turn the tv off, they are able to see my face so I feel like there is more of a connection and we are having some really nice conversations,” Galuten said.

It’s a no-risk way to give updates to families who have not been able to lay their own eyes on their loved one due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

Most importantly, the JaMMeR brings joy and relief to her patients, even if only for a little while.

“It makes them giggle and they are able to have a little levity to their day and bring them a little joy,” Galuten said.

The JaMMeR was first used in an educational setting at Duke Sschool of Nursing. 

This is the first trial run in a clinical setting.