(K-406) Development of an Autonomous Medical Supply Cart to Streamline Nurse Workflow

The optimization of nurse workflow by rapid access to medical supplies is of vital importance for efficient and timely patient care. A common challenge faced by nurses in a high acuity setting is taking time away from patients to acquire needed equipment or supplies from a distant supply room. Addressing this challenge could help reduced stress levels during critical situations and ultimately enhance patient care. Our solution is the development of an autonomous medical cart that can enable direct to room delivery of needed equipment and supplies without sacrificing the valuable time of the nursing staff. The importance of this project in revolutionizing the workflow for critical care nurses will reduce their physical burden and time away from high acuity patients. Streamlining medical supply transportation with the autonomous cart, we aim to significantly reduce the physical stress on nurses by helping to optimize their access to supplies on-demand. Enabling access to vital supplies during emergencies, it can help to expedite interventions thus improving patient outcomes.  This project involves designing, building, and testing a LiDAR equipped autonomous cart that provides a user-friendly interface for seamless navigation within critical care units. We hypothesize that implementing our cart design will substantially decrease the frequency of trips to the supply room to positively impact patient care while reducing the physical burden on nurses. Offering a practical solution to a widespread issue, this project lays the foundation for future advancements in autonomous medical equipment transportation, contributing to improved healthcare efficiency and patient safety.

To achieve the maneuvering goals of the autonomous medical supply cart, we employ a robust chassis with a simple differentially driven two motor design to enable a zero turn radius, velocity differences between the two motors to enable curved paths, and equivalent velocity to direct the robot in straight paths. The cart's physical design in terms of size and loading capacity was based on observations and measurements within the critical care environment.  To address the specific needs of the critical care units, various storage compartments and adjustable dividers are incorporated in the cart's design. This adaptability ensures that the cart can accommodate a wide range of medical equipment and supplies commonly used in the unit. The prototype was constructed using durable, lightweight, and easily cleaned materials to ensure compliance with safety and hygiene standards in a healthcare setting. For the autonomous navigation system, we utilized LiDAR and infrared sensors to enable obstacle detection and collision avoidance. The cart's user interface was designed with simplicity in mind, featuring an intuitive touchscreen display and clear instructions for nurses to interact with the cart effectively. The software protocol was developed to facilitate seamless communication between the cart and the user interface, allowing for easy command inputs and status updates.

The prototype of the autonomous medical supply cart is expected to provide significant positive outcomes. Cart testing is expected to successfully demonstrate autonomous navigation within the mock unit test track from the starting point of the supply room to locations designated in the track followed by return to the supply room. It may efficiently carry medical supplies and equipment with a maximum of 80 pounds capacity. The implementation of collision avoidance sensors and emergency stop mechanisms to ensure the cart's safe operation is examined in the mock unit test track to simulate operation around a fully staffed unit. Focus groups involved in the design process of the user interface expect to enable the calling of the cart to a specified location to be an intuitive and user-friendly process with seamless interaction with the cart itself.  The impact of the autonomous cart on nurse workflow is expected to be substantial by allowing valuable time to be saved both in terms of equipment being supplied more quickly and enabling the nurse to utilize that time to focus more on patient care.  The significance of this work could extend beyond critical care units, as successful implementation can optimize workflow and patient care in various healthcare units.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R25EB032766. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.