# data[].attributes.body
Founders: Richard Harris, Stuart Harris, Joe Mygatt, James Wong
Credible Source: VascuLogic
Image from: http://www.veebot.com/

# data[].attributes.body
Blood draws is one of the most prevalent clinical interventions used in the medical field.  Unfortunately, venipuncture has led to a significant amount of injuries in both the patients and clinical staff (Chen, Nikitczuk, Nikitczuk, Maguire, & Yarmush, 2013). It is estimated that challenging or unsuccessful venipunctures costs the healthcare system $4.7 billion per year (Chen et al., 2013). Due to these adverse effects, Veebot, a robotic venipuncture device, was created to assist in the venipuncture process in order to improve patient outcomes and staff safety.  This device visualizes blood vessels uses both ultrasound imaging and 3-D near-infrared making the insertion of the needle more accurate (Balter et al., 2016).   The Veebot is approximately 83% accurate, which proves to be superior, as the average failed attempts is 20% to 32% overall, and 47% to 70% in difficult patient populations (Chen et al., 2013).  This current innovation could be very beneficial for the future of blood draws by increasing safety, decreasing adverse effects, and improving patient outcomes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Veebot is automating needle insertion procedures through a unique combination of medical imaging, computer vision, artificial intelligence and robotics.

# data[].attributes.body
·       Improve successful needle insertion rates

·       Increased ease with difficult populations including kids, elderly, and obese

·       Increase workflow and decrease costs associated with failed attempts

·       Minimized risk of contamination of the specimen
·       Decrease in the number of mislabeling of labs
·       Able to select the most suitable vein
·       Blood draws can be completed faster and safer

·       Accurately able to access the vein 83% of the time

·       Machine is portable, easy to clean, and easy to use with minimal instructions

·       Decrease in needle stick injuries
·      Increased speed of result times which can expedite the hospital flow, leading to quicker implementation of interventions

(Chen et al., 2013)

# data[].attributes.body
·      The machine is expensive and large in size

·      The machine is expensive to fix

·      The risk of harm to the patient
·      Possibility of damage to surrounding nerves

·      There is no systems for venous cannula placement

·      The system is only 83% effective

·      The lack of face-to face care taking out the emotional aspect of blood draws

·      Subtle inaccuracies can lead to harm, pain, and false results
·      Some patients do not like the idea of a robot drawing blood
·      No clinical trials have taken place

(Chen et al., 2013)

# data[].attributes.body
Technology has become crucial to the advancements in the medical field. It makes sense to implement technology into one of the most prevalent medical tasks performed around the world.  With the high number of adverse effects that come from needle stick injuries, mislabeling of labs, and physical harm to the patient, I believe The Veebot could be a promising answer to these problems.  While the Veebot is only 83% accurate, that number is higher than the current success rates of phlebotomists, and the founders plan to increase the accuracy rate before the prototype is finalized.  The Veebot could be very beneficial to the difficult patient populations including children, the elderly, and obese due to the combination of ultrasound and infrared light to help visualize and select the best vein.  This could lead to a reduction in the number of attempts, leading to an increase in workflow, faster results, and ultimately saving costs to the hospital.  My concerns with this Innovation are the cost of the machine and the lack of emotional empathy that would come from a human performing this task.  No prototype has release information on the price of these machines.  With the science involved, the machines will be expensive, so will their initial and maintenance costs make up for the cost saved?  Although the machines are portable, will they be able to successfully meet the needs of the facility, and will the sterilization process be effective with large volumes of patients?  The idea of a robot taking blood might be scary for many people.  Venipunctures are known to cause fear in individuals, so many people will be against the idea of a robot taking over this already daunting task.  The need for emotional support and education will be vital. Overall, I believe this innovation will make a positive impact on the future of phlebotomy, and I look forward see the implementation of these robots.

Image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacutainer

# data[].attributes.body
The team I have put together for the implementation of this current innovation, The Veebot, include Alice, Chelsea, Andrew, Fernando, and Matthew. I have selected this team due to the key strengths each hold, and together will be able to accomplish this task. First, I have selected Chelsea due to the strength of command. Each group needs a leader to provide direction and oversee all the work. Without a leader, the task at hand cannot be completed. Next, I have selected Alice due to her strong drive and hard-working abilities that will ensure the productivity of the task. She will be able to achieve the job set forth. Andrew will be a beneficial member due to his ability of taking on an idea and making it happen. He is a source of energy and will be able to make decisions for the team fearlessly. Next, I selected Fernando. He is a key part in the execution of our task. He can take direction and will be able to follow through with the tasks he has been given. He will guarantee the team stays on track and focus on the success of the project. Last, I have selected Matthew. He will help to stimulate the group to work to the best of their ability.  He will be crucial in the success of this project by making something good into something amazing. The implementation of this project would not be possible without the different team members working to bring key characteristics together.

# data[].attributes.body
Balter, M. L., Chen, A. I., Fromholtz, A., Gorshkov, A., Maguire, T. J., & Yarmush, M. L. (2016). System design and development of a robotic device for automated venipuncture and diagnostic blood cell analysis. 2016 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 514-520. doi:10.1109/iros.2016.7759102

Chen, A., Nikitczuk, K., Nikitczuk, J., Maguire, T., & Yarmush, M. (2013). Portable robot for autonomous venipuncture using 3D near infrared image guidance. TECHNOLOGY, 1(1), 72–87. doi:10.1142/s2339547813500064