Usability and performance of a wearable tele-echography robot for focused assessment of trauma using sonography.

Abstract Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) is widely used as a first lifesaving step for patients suffering from internal bleeding. Because it may take a long time to transport such patients to a hospital, a wearable and portable tele-echography robot that a paramedic can attach to the patient has been developed. In the current study, experiments were conducted to evaluate the usability and performance of attached FAST. The proposed robot must be attached to 4 areas to perform FAST. The time required for attachment and the positions of attachment completed by 9 non-medical staff members, as well as the time it took for the FAST to reach a medical doctor, were measured. The echo images obtained when the patient's body was in motion were evaluated by a medical doctor. The robot could be attached to all 4 areas within approximately 5 min, and the maximum gap was 4.8 cm. This indicates that a paramedic who has received training in emergency medical care should be able to attach the robot to a patient quickly and accurately. Additionally, it was confirmed that the robot could be used to complete FAST under a doctor's control within 9 min and that the extracted echo images were suitable for FAST. A comparison of the results with current ambulance transportation time confirmed that FAST could be completed approximately 14 min before the patient reached the hospital. The results of the current study indicate that the robot is worth using, is suitable for FAST, and will be effective in emergency medical care.