Robots to become increasingly familiar part of healthcare plan, it is claimed

The use of robotics in healthcare plans is to become increasingly common, it has been claimed.

According Mike Wilson, director of the British Automation Robotics Association (BARA), robots are already used in a variety of roles throughout healthcare, such as surgery and delivering drugs around hospitals.

And this is a trend likely to continue into the future, he says, especially in newer hospitals.

"With brand new hospitals it's definitely a thing of the future. You can be much more precise using robotic technology," he commented.

Mr Wilson also believes that patients would be relatively quick to become comfortable with an increasing role for robotics in hospitals.

"The challenge would be when you've got the machines actually doing the work independent of the surgeons," he said.

"We're not there yet; we've got quite a long way to go - but in terms of using these tools as an aid to the surgeon, personally I don't think people would be that concerned."

It follows the recent introduction of an automated robotic pharmacy at the Forth Valley Royal hospital in Larbert, Scotland.

Managers claim the £400,000 pharmacy has saved £700,000 off the hospital's drugs bill, the BBC reported.

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