Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Telemed J E Health. 2010 Jun;16(5):608-13. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2009.0171.
The use of robots in healthcare is a new concept. The public's perception and acceptance is not well understood. The objective was to investigate the perceptions and emotions toward the utilization of healthcare robots among individuals over 40 years of age, investigate factors contributing to acceptance, and evaluate differences in blood pressure checks taken by a robot and a medical student.
Fifty-seven (n = 57) adults aged over 40 years and recruited from local general practitioner or gerontology group lists participated in two cross-sectional studies. The first was an open-ended questionnaire assessing perceptions of robots. In the second study, participants had their blood pressure taken by a medical student and by a robot. Patient comfort with each encounter, perceived accuracy of each measurement, and the quality of the patient interaction were studied in each case. Readings were compared by independent t-tests and regression analyses were conducted to predict quality ratings.
Participants' perceptions about robots were influenced by their prior exposure to robots in literature or entertainment media. Participants saw many benefits and applications for healthcare robots, including simple medical procedures and physical assistance, but had some concerns about reliability, safety, and the loss of personal care. Blood pressure readings did not differ between the medical student and robot, but participants felt more comfortable with the medical student and saw the robot as less accurate. Although age and sex were not significant predictors, individuals who held more positive initial attitudes and emotions toward robots rated the robot interaction more favorably.
Many people see robots as having benefits and applications in healthcare but some have concerns. Individual attitudes and emotions regarding robots in general are likely to influence future acceptance of their introduction into healthcare processes.
医疗机器人的使用是一个新概念。公众的认知和接受程度还没有得到很好的理解。本研究旨在调查 40 岁以上人群对医疗机器人使用的看法和情绪，调查影响接受程度的因素，并评估机器人和医学生进行血压检查的差异。
从当地的全科医生或老年病学小组名单中招募了 57 名年龄在 40 岁以上的成年人参加了两项横断面研究。第一项是一项开放式问卷调查，评估对机器人的看法。在第二项研究中，参与者接受了医学生和机器人的血压测量。在每种情况下，都研究了患者对每次接触的舒适度、对每次测量的感知准确性以及患者与机器人的互动质量。通过独立 t 检验比较读数，并进行回归分析以预测质量评分。
参与者对机器人的看法受到他们在文献或娱乐媒体中对机器人的先前接触的影响。参与者看到了医疗机器人的许多好处和应用，包括简单的医疗程序和身体协助，但对可靠性、安全性和个人护理的丧失存在一些担忧。医学生和机器人的血压读数没有差异，但参与者对医学生感到更舒适，认为机器人的准确性较低。尽管年龄和性别不是显著的预测因素，但对机器人持更积极初始态度和情绪的个体对机器人的互动评价更为有利。
许多人认为机器人在医疗保健中有好处和应用，但也有人存在担忧。个人对机器人的总体态度和情绪可能会影响他们对将其引入医疗保健流程的未来接受程度。
