Robotic patient transfer device launches at Ottawa hospital [Video]

A robotic platform designed to transfer patients in and out of hospital beds with the press of a button launched last week at five Canadian hospitals, including Bruyère Health Saint-Vincent Hospital in Ottawa.

The ALTA Platform is the creation of Toronto-based Jayiesh Singh, CEO and co-founder of Able Innovations.

Singh told CBC Radio’s Ottawa Morning he wants to free up healthcare professionals to “provide compassionate care” and “protect themselves from career-ending injuries.”

Transferring a patient is labour-intensive and can happen hundreds of times a week, according to Paula Doering, Bruyère Health’s senior vice-president of clinical programs.

Bruyère Health was the first organization to start using the ALTA Platform. Doering said she quickly saw its value for the health and time of health-care workers, as well as for patients.

“Our staff see this as a tremendous time-saver, because it doesn’t take three or four people to transfer a patient,” Doering said. “It’s one individual with the push …