Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
Docs in Clouds TeleCare GmbH, Vaalser Straße 460, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 May 1;18(9):4846. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18094846.
The bans on visiting nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, while intended to protect residents, also have the risk of increasing the loneliness and social isolation that already existed among the older generations before the pandemic. To combat loneliness and social isolation in nursing homes, this trial presents a study during which social networks of nursing home residents and elderly hospital patients were maintained through virtual encounters and robots, respectively. The observational trial included volunteers who were either residents of nursing homes or patients in a geriatric hospital. Each volunteer was asked to fill in a questionnaire containing three questions to measure loneliness. The questionnaire also documented whether video telephony via the robot, an alternative contact option (for example, a phone call), or no contact with relatives had taken place. The aim was to work out the general acceptance and the benefits of virtual encounters using robots for different roles (users, relatives, nursing staff, facilities). Seventy volunteers with three possible interventions (non-contact, virtual encounters by means of a robot, and any other contact) took part in this trial. The frequency of use of the robot increased steadily over the course of the study, and it was regularly used in all facilities during the weeks of visitor bans ( = 134 times). In the hospital, loneliness decreased significantly among patients for whom the robot was used to provide contact (F(1,25) = 7.783, = 0.01). In the nursing homes, no demonstrable effect could be achieved in this way, although the subject feedback from the users was consistently positive.
在 COVID-19 大流行期间，禁止探访养老院，这虽然旨在保护居民，但也有可能增加老年人在大流行前已经存在的孤独感和社会隔离感。为了应对养老院中的孤独感和社会隔离，这项试验提出了一项研究，通过虚拟会面和机器人分别维持养老院居民和老年医院患者的社交网络。这项观察性试验包括志愿者，他们要么是养老院的居民，要么是老年医院的患者。每位志愿者都被要求填写一份包含三个问题的问卷，以衡量孤独感。问卷还记录了是否通过机器人进行视频电话、是否通过其他方式（例如电话）与亲属联系，或者没有与亲属联系。目的是确定使用机器人进行不同角色（用户、亲属、护理人员、设施）的虚拟会面的普遍接受程度和益处。共有 70 名志愿者参与了这项试验，他们有三种可能的干预措施（不接触、通过机器人进行虚拟会面和任何其他接触）。在研究过程中，机器人的使用频率稳步上升，在访客禁令期间，所有设施都定期使用（=134 次）。在医院中，使用机器人提供联系的患者的孤独感显著降低（F(1,25)=7.783，p=0.01）。在养老院中，虽然用户的反馈一直是积极的，但这种方式没有达到明显的效果。
