Hiep Nguyen

Thank you for your interest in home telerobotics.  I hope as you explore some of the documents below and consider my TEDMED talk, you will start to become as excited as I am about the possibilities presented by advanced telecommunications in medicine. 

During my talk, I introduced the dilemma that many people view health care as “sick care” rather than wellness care, meaning they only become engaged with their physicians and the health care system when they are ill, and are seldom involved in either preventing disease or being an integral part of the health care process after surgery or other medical intervention.  A continuous presence could help a patient and parents better learn and understand a given condition and address potential problems before they flair into something that requires a return to the hospital.

A great idea, but how are we going to accomplish this?  Over the last 3 years, my team and I at Children's Hospital Boston have been doing research evaluating the role of robotic technology as a mediator for health care.  Specifically, we are investigating the use of robots in the transition a child’s care from hospital to home and its use in improving compliance with medical therapy.

In working with robots and children, I have learned several things. A robot is not just a fancy computer. Children interact with robots more like a person than like an iPad or their PCs.  They bond with the robot, taking care of the robot and allowing the robot to take care of them.  Through playing and gaming, the robot can educate and teach, and provide a focal point for both the children and their parents to learn about health.

This is how I envision our healthcare in the future.  For more information about home robotics and our research projects, please follow the links below.

Sincerely,

Hiep T. Nguyen, M.D.