To boldly go – a new way of delivering primary care
New technology often seems strange when it’s first unveiled, and it’s hard to say whether it’s going to take off or not – and whether the general public will take to it.
Microsoft guru Bill Gates is reported to have said he wanted to see “a computer on every desk, and in every home” back in 1980. That might have seen a far-fetched plan back then – yet today it seems quite plausible.
This week we write about something which, just 10 or 15 years ago, would have seemed like it was straight out of the works of science fiction writers like Asimov or Clarke – unmanned care booths operated by nurse practitioners or doctors many miles away.
The booths can, as directed by the operator and with a patient safely secured inside, perform a variety of remote tests such as EKG and blood pressure, and there are plans for the next iteration of booths to extract blood, by a vacuum device, through capillaries. This really is going boldly into what was once Star Trek technology.
Some of the advantages of this machinery, are fairly obvious. A row of these booths could reduce the pressure in A&E departments for non emergency cases – and despite the high initial outlay, could save a lot of money over time.
But will the public accept them? Even if you can talk to a physician in the booth, this will still be something which – today at least – seems unnatural to a lot of us, particularly the older generation who might be more in need of the services these booths will offer than most. And you would lose a some of the personal touch that many patients find reassuring.
The bottom line, however, is that if it works, if it’s efficient, if this new technology helps people get the right treatment quicker and / or cheaper, then it may very well catch on – not least because big business will back it if it can save it money, and we suspect eventually most people will accept it – even if there are some who, like the smartphone and self-checkouts at the supermarket before it, won’t want anything to do with it. Don’t expect it to be an overnight sensation, however. Changing opinions takes time.
We would welcome your thoughts on this story. Email your views to David Farbrother or call 0207 183 3779.
