Can humanoid nurse robots replace human nurses?

Abstract

Background: The certainty of future technological developments in robotics and artificial intelligence can alter how nursing is practiced today and in the future. In 1992, Peck argued that while advancing technologies will take over the predictive and prescriptive health care practice, the future of nursing will rest on the irreplaceable human touch, specifically "Tender Loving Care." Discussion: If nursing is the expression of TLC, and the science of caring supports this expression as nursing, is it true that contemporary nursing practice is the engagement of human beings with caring as its core? Is the practice of nursing grounded in caring? With recent advances in robot technologies and artificial super intelligence (ASI) will there be Humanoid Nurse Robots (HNRs) 'nurse' persons with TLC? Conclusion: As fundamental to nursing practice grounded in the theory of Technological Competency as Caring in Nursing, the ultimate purpose of technological competency as caring in nursing is to know persons as caring who are participants in their care, rather than simply objects of care. The process of 'knowing persons as caring' in nursing is communicated as technological knowing, mutual designing and participative engaging.