Human-Robot-Collaboration in the Healthcare Environment: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

There is an existing shortage of skilled personnel in the healthcare environment. The growing need for healthcare professionals due to the increasing number of elderly people represents a sociopolitical and economic challenge. It is expected that human-robot collaboration in healthcare will rise in the near future because it could be a great advantage to relieve healthcare professionals with technical systems. To promote the acceptance of such technical systems and digital aids, it is important to involve the health care staff from the very beginning. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine differences in the acceptance of and the general attitude towards robots in the healthcare sector. In focus was the difference between people working in the health care environment and those who don’t. An exploratory study was conducted to find out if - and if yes how - the attitude of people towards robots in the healthcare sector differ and whether the type of robot has an influence on the attitudes towards robots. The results show that participants working in the healthcare sector have a less positive attitude towards robots than those not working in the healthcare sector. Furthermore, significant differences can be shown regarding the assessments of the different robots in the different scenarios. The results of the study should help to understand how people working in the healthcare sector evaluate the potential use of different robots in healthcare.