Nursing, Robotics, Technological Revolution: Robotics to Support Nursing Work

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review the influence of robot systems on nursing and robotics technology. Methods: The research design was a review article. The literature was done to help understand the current status and effects of robotic technology in the healthcare field, both domestic and overseas. The keywords searched were 'Nursing', 'Robot', and 'Patient safety' in Pubmed, CINAHL etc, and 'Nursing Activity', 'Nursing Care Integration Service' in RISS and KISS. Results: In healthcare, robotics is used in five areas; personal care robots, mobility and transfer robots, cognitive and emotional robots, nursing assist robots and care robots in palliative home care settings. Nurses' demands for utilization of robotic systems are high. Especially, if robotics is used for indirect and non-value-added nursing activities, efficiency may increase. Therefore, robotics should be used to help nurses focus on bedside care and perform better nursing care. Conclusion: Future robots and technology can help nurse to provide optimal nursing to patients, and will improve the quality life of patients. It is suggested that nursing research should be actively pursued in the future. Especially, it is an urgent field to improve nursing quality and reduce the burden of nurses.