Robot Helps Doctors Monitor Patients in Russia's Perm Region
Forty-four hospitals in the Perm Region have connected to a remote patient monitoring system that uses a robotic voice assistant to call patients and collect their health data.
The system has been operating since July last year. It is now used by 44 hospitals under the regional Health Ministry, with monitoring carried out by 449 primary care physicians. The project includes patients with diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension and chronic heart failure. Depending on the diagnosis, the robot calls them several times a day.
During each call, the robot asks questions based on pre-prepared questionnaires and collects the information doctors need to make clinical decisions, including glucose meter and blood pressure monitor readings. If a patient's condition raises concerns, doctors contact the patient directly, provide recommendations, schedule an in-person appointment or, in urgent cases, call an ambulance.
In the first half of 2026, about 20,000 patients were enrolled in the system. One in four was found to have an unstable condition, and doctors adjusted their treatment strategy, including hospitalization. By the end of the year, the monitoring program is expected to cover another 20,000 people.
