Lamson: Robots in Healthcare(not Hollywood)

By ahhb
Friday, 19 December, 2014

The trend towards automation continues in Australian Healthcare. Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) are now in some of the latest and most modern hospitals in the country. Institutions such as Royal North Shore Hospital, Bendigo Hospital, the new Perth Children’s Hospital and the latest Sunshine Coast University Hospital as well as Fiona Stanley Hospital and Royal Adelaide Hospital are embracing the technology. With State and Federal budgets being tightened the real business case for such systems have operators realising to optimise services and funds worth more consideration. Of course industry and production lines have embraced AGV technology for decades to cut costs and improve efficiency. Healthcare is now understanding the benefits. But such systems are not just for “new builds”, many existing hospitals can retro fit an AGV system. Lamson has a simple site survey form that will quickly establish if an existing site is architecturally suitable for an automation upgrade.

The newer form of automation in Australia is the RoboCourier or Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR). Such very clever robots have on board intelligence allowing them to navigate around crowded corridors and laboratory or Pharmacy departments. They operate 24/7 and take a wide range of payloads from bulk laboratory samples, impres pharmacy stock, medical records and other payloads in a secure enclosure or open tote bin format.
The implementation of Australia’s first Automated Drug Management System (ADMS) completes the range of Lamson automation solutions for Healthcare. The fully “closed loop” solution truly allows the “5 –Rights” of medication administration to be delivered to the patient.
Such systems have been the standard code of practice in many US based hospitals for years and dramatically decrease the percentage of Adverse Drug Effects (ADEs) which is a very relevant statistic in patient care.
From Dockside to Bedside, Lamson provide total logistic and material transfer solutions. To complete the automation portfolio Lamson offer the Kardex transport and storage product from Germany, allowing complete use of available vertical space, typically in CSD to Operating Theatres applications.
With traditional Pneumatic Tube Systems for specimens, pharmacy and documents, and now the huge 500mm pneumatic systems for transfer of linen and waste throughout the facility. Lamson have the complete solution for your internal hospital logistics.