Attitudes of Professionals Toward the Need for Assistive and Social Robots in the Healthcare Sector

Abstract

We conducted three studies among healthcare professionals and explored the need for service and social robots in the healthcare sector. The methods consisted of cross-sectional surveys and literature reviews. The survey data were analyzed with cross-tabulations, a logistic regression model, a Pearson correlation test, and a factor analysis. The literature reviews showed that there were only a few papers which discussed the use of service and social robots as tools by healthcare workers. Both professional care workers and healthcare educators perceived that robots were able to increase productivity. The results also showed that robots are able to reduce the mental workload of workers and to increase the diversity of work. Robots were also considered as good devices for activating the patients' motoric and cognitive skills and for making them happy. Even if the attitudes were positive and people were not afraid that robots may take over workplaces, the ecosystem of social robotics is still fragmented and the number of intervention studies among professional care workers is small. Policymakers should create a strategy for promoting service and social robots in the healthcare sector. The strategy should take into account robotics in education and implementation of robots in healthcare facilities.