Interview with Neus Domènech Oller

Neus is very important to Yasyt Robotics, as she is pushing and leading the RobRoom project at the Hospital of Olot and Comarcal de la Garrotxa and we wanted to share with you his vision of our project.

Neus Domènech Oller is a nurse, her experience in the management of nursing services began in 2007, she has an experience of more than a decade of work in the field of care for Chronicity as Head of Unit. She is also a member of the driving group for the PAISS a la Garrotxa and a member of the ICT Commission of the Official College of Nurses of Girona (COIGI). Since this year, he has made a professional leap to promote innovation at the Hospital de Olot y Comarcal de la Garrotxa Foundation. Its professional driving force is the desire to transform the current model of health and social care.

How about Neus? We are delighted to hear about your vision and experience with the RobRoom.

• The first time you listen about the RobRoom project, what did you think?

The first time I spoke with Nuria about the project was at the end of 2019, and at all times we were clear that we wanted to join and implement this project at the Foundation.

• In the middle of the pandemic, we received a call from you saying that you couldn't stop thinking about the possibilities that the RobRoom had. Tell us a bit about your thoughts at that time.

Before the pandemic, we had formed a working group who were excited about the project. We had explored assistance needs that we could complement with the voice assistant, and we identified a process where we thought that Robroom was a great fit.

A few weeks passed and the pandemic arrived. In the first wave, I had the COVID-19. I spent it in my home distraught by the situation and suffering. At the time, I couldn't stop thinking about the improvement that the Robroom project would bring concerning social isolation, video calls, training, etc. When I joined I did not hesitate to call Núria to tell her to study how we could make the project a reality, since with the situation we were experiencing, its meaning increased.

• RobRoom has already been implemented in the Olot Hospital for a few months. How is the project going? How do users feel? And health professionals?

Yes, the Robroom project has been a reality in the Hospital since June 2020. The project is growing and we are working to develop more content in the modules. We will also implement the RobRoom in the Oncological Day Hospital with the CLOSE2U to accompany the oncological process and Primary Care. Also, we are working with the Rob home to accompany patients in-home care, both independent people and professional caregivers.

Like any project, it needs time to integrate itself, the situation we are experiencing has greatly altered care tasks, but Robroom was born to increase the value and improve the tasks of care professionals and in this sense, we continue working.

As for the users, they have received the project with great enthusiasm, they get a lot of performance in the health education modules and the accompaniment with entertainment helps to better isolate their families.

• What strengths do you see in the RobRoom project?

The project has a long history and growth, and we are in a very early phase of its development. One of its strengths is the incorporation of artificial intelligence in health education that allows verifying the level of understanding of the information received by the user. And we are very excited to work on improving the oncological process during chemotherapy sessions.

• Tell us a funny anecdote.

An anecdote representing the symbol of the Robroom project for our patients is that of an 85-year-old man, who was in the long-term unit of the Hospital d.Olot.  When his condition stabilized, we put an Alexa device in his room, to facilitate and improve the insulation that today is supposed to be in.

From first he found with Alexa an ally that helped him to overcome the days, facilitating communication with his relatives, providing entertainment tools as well as relaxation dynamics.

At the time when he was given the high, the first thing he told his son was:  "Look, I want you to install an Alexa at home, I'm staying here."

Another anecdote that I would like to highlight is that of a Chinese patient who was admitted to the hospital.  Due to his provenance and being in Catalonia for a short time, he did not know the language and it was very difficult to establish a communication with him.  It's here, where thanks to Alexa's contribution, we were able to get a loose and essential communication, so that the patient could get a feedback from the medical procedures that the hospital followed.

Thank you for sharing your vision and experience with RobRoom. Let us hope to follow the steps you have taken through this blog!