Leoste Janika, Lubi Kadi, Marmor Kristel, Kangur Katrin
IT College, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate tee 5, Tallinn, 19086, Estonia, 372 5045081.
School of Educational Sciences, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia.
JMIR Nurs. 2025 Aug 1;8:e70305. doi: 10.2196/70305.
The growing demand for older adults care due to aging populations and health care workforce shortages requires innovative solutions. Socially assistive robots (SARs) are increasingly explored for their potential to reduce workload by handling routine tasks. Yet, adoption can be hindered by various health care workers' concerns.
This study examined the perceptions of health care workers toward SARs before and after a pilot use in a clinical nursing care setting. The study focused on SAR usability, emotional appropriateness, and readiness for adoption.
A mixed methods pilot study was conducted at the East Tallinn Central Hospital's Nursing Care Clinic in collaboration with Tallinn University of Technology. The TEMI v3 (Robotemi) robot was used for 2 weeks for visitor guidance, goods delivery, and patrolling tasks. Health care workers filled in pre- and postintervention questionnaires with Likert-scale items and a broad open-ended question. Quantitative data were analyzed for changes in perceived safety, trust, and usability. Qualitative data underwent thematic analysis to understand participants' opinions.
Out of 45 involved health care workers, 20 completed the pretest questionnaire, and 5 completed the posttest questionnaire (a 75% attrition). Pretest results show that 17 of 20 (85%) participants had limited previous exposure to SARs and mixed perceptions of their role, with 9 (45%) viewing SARs as machines and 6 (30%) as somewhat human-like. Although 60% believed SARs could become mainstream within 5-10 years, there were concerns about the robot's emotional adequacy and job displacement. Posttest findings showed increased confidence in SARs, with all respondents perceiving them as safe tools. Qualitative results indicate improved trust and readiness to integrate SARs into daily routines, with 4 out of 5 (80%) being willing to advocate for SAR use. Still, participants noted limited impact on facilitating their jobs.
The study indicates that short-term collaboration with SARs can enhance health care workers' confidence and their readiness for adoption. However, actual use would need proper emotional adequacy from the robot and aligning its functionalities with specific care needs. The future studies need to examine long-term impacts on care quality and job satisfaction, and also strategies to address generational differences and technophobia among health care staff. Transparent communication and proper training are required to ensure acceptance.
由于人口老龄化和医疗保健劳动力短缺，对老年人护理的需求不断增长，这就需要创新的解决方案。社会辅助机器人（SARs）因其通过处理日常任务来减轻工作量的潜力而受到越来越多的探索。然而，其应用可能会受到医护人员各种担忧的阻碍。
本研究调查了医护人员在临床护理环境中试点使用社会辅助机器人前后对其的看法。该研究聚焦于机器人的可用性、情感适宜性以及应用准备情况。
与塔林理工大学合作，在东塔林中央医院护理诊所开展了一项混合方法试点研究。使用TEMI v3（Robotemi）机器人进行了为期2周的访客引导、物品递送和巡逻任务。医护人员填写了干预前后的问卷，问卷包含李克特量表项目和一个广泛的开放式问题。对定量数据进行分析，以了解感知安全性、信任度和可用性的变化。对定性数据进行主题分析，以了解参与者的意见。
在45名参与的医护人员中，20人完成了预测试问卷，5人完成了后测试问卷（损耗率为75%）。预测试结果显示，20名参与者中有17人（85%）此前对社会辅助机器人的接触有限，对其作用的看法不一，其中9人（45%）将机器人视为机器，6人（30%）认为有点像人。尽管60%的人认为社会辅助机器人可能在5至10年内成为主流，但人们对机器人的情感适宜性和工作替代存在担忧。后测试结果显示，对社会辅助机器人的信心有所增强，所有受访者都将其视为安全工具。定性结果表明，信任度提高，并且更愿意将社会辅助机器人融入日常工作，5人中有4人（80%）愿意倡导使用机器人。不过，参与者指出机器人对协助他们工作的影响有限。
该研究表明，与社会辅助机器人的短期合作可以增强医护人员的信心及其应用准备情况。然而，实际应用需要机器人具备适当的情感适宜性，并使其功能与特定护理需求相匹配。未来的研究需要考察对护理质量和工作满意度的长期影响，以及应对医护人员代际差异和技术恐惧症的策略。需要进行透明的沟通和适当的培训以确保接受度。
Zotero 插件
