The Regional Medical Center has a new “employee” to help with its food and nutrition patient counseling services.
The new “employee” is named Norma, the robot dietician.
The hospital’s food service department is managed by Georgia-based Morrison Healthcare. The company oversees the hospital’s nutrition program and hires all the hospital’s food and nutrition counselors.
“Norma is a food and nutrition automated robot that can provide counseling for patients in regards to food and nutrition,” RMC CEO David Southerland said. “Nutritionists are on our staff through our food and services Morrison’s agreement, but this will help us provide better staffing and better coverage for our patients because staffing for nutritionists around the country is very tight. We can have more timely counseling for our patients.”
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“We are just in the process of introducing this,” Southerland said. “It is demonstrating that we are definitely moving into the high-tech area.”
RMC has four registered dieticians with plans to add a fifth live, on-site registered dietician soon, according Michael Fredericks, RMC senior director of food and nutrition services.
Norma, which is piloted offsite by a Morrison Healthcare employee, can “walk” halls and visit patient rooms to provide counseling for patients on their dietary needs and recommendations.
Southerland said the hospital will eventually be able to use Norma on an outpatient basis.
“The cost is built into current fees,” Southerland said.
The robot can be controlled from across the country. A demonstration showed to RMC trustees was piloted by a Morrison Healthcare employee from Nevada.
Hospital officials say the program will save money and cut back on the need for a salaried employee.
RMC’s telehealth clinical nutrition services include: nutrition assessment, intervention and monitoring and patient and family nutrition education.
Telenutrition services are used to provide clinical nutrition services in times of staffing shortages, specialist clinical dietitians and nutrition education for high-risk outpatients at home.
The service also allows family members and caregivers to attend patient education from multiple locations.
The robot uses software designed to protect patient health care privacy.
The robot is used in about 10 other hospitals across the country and often serves as a supplement to on-site staff or as a sole on-site dietician, according to Morrison Healthcare.