Robot Doctor Rolled into Room to Tell Man He’s Going to Power Down Soon

[Misfit]

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/10/health/patient-dies-robot-doctor/index.html

(CNN)Preparing for the death of a loved one is difficult no matter the circumstances.

But Annalisia Wilharm said she never expected a doctor would deliver the bad news about her grandfather via a video screen on a robot.

Wilharm was sitting by her grandfather's bedside in the ICU of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fremont, California, last Monday night when the machine rolled into their room and a doctor, appearing via live video link, offered his grim prognosis. Her grandfather Ernest Quintana, 78, died the next day.

"I think they should have had more dignity and treated him better than they did," Wilharm told CNN. "No granddaughter, no family member should have to go through what I just did with him."

 

[glhs837]

Goddamn, that's just friken hard...... "I know it's the end of your life and all, but actually visiting your room to deliver that news? Sorry, can't make it.... "

 

[vraiblonde]

Ain't government health care gonna be fun?

But I really don't want doctors and nurses around me. I'd be okay with the doc sending me an email or texting me. I don't need their personal attention and I definitely don't want to spend my life in their waiting room waiting for it.

 

[Merlin99]

Goddamn, that's just friken hard...... "I know it's the end of your life and all, but actually visiting your room to deliver that news? Sorry, can't make it.... "

He probably would if he'd been at the hospital, but a telepresence makes it possible to have a doctor on call that's not even in the country. Not saying it's a bad thing, just the future of medicine (you think there's a lot of Indian doctors now).

 

[glhs837]

I sorta think that maybe telling you are dying in the next 24-48 might be an exception.

He probably would if he'd been at the hospital, but a telepresence makes it possible to have a doctor on call that's not even in the country. Not saying it's a bad thing, just the future of medicine (you think there's a lot of Indian doctors now).

I'm fine with teleprescence, wife and I have done Skype type doctors visits offered through insurance. And been really happy with the results. But for end of life, I think that's a thing that should be handled in person.

 

[vraiblonde]

But for end of life, I think that's a thing that should be handled in person.

Why?

I've never been in a long term care situation, so I've never developed a relationship with any doctor. It's like my dentist or eye doctor - I go in once a year, we chitty chat while they do their thing, I like them well enough, see ya next year. So maybe it's different when you've been under a doctor's care for a period of time, but my take is that I really don't care if the doctor phones it in. Having my family and friends around would be important to me; the doctor not so much.

I think this woman is being emotional over losing her grandfather, not necessarily that the doctor gave them the bad news via Skype.