022Measuring Impacts of Introducing Communicative Robots with Infra-red Radiation Monitoring System on Workload of Night Shifts in Nursing Care Facilities

Abstract

Background: The impacts of using robots and ICT in care settings have not been sufficiently evaluated, particularly in relation to workers' workload, despite much attention being paid to public expenses and harsh working environment, leading to a shortage of staff. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate quantitatively the effects of introducing communicative robots on night shift duties of nursing facility workers. Method: The subjects are five staff members in charge of late-night work, looking after older people (17 female and 3 male, aged 87.1 +/-5.8 yrs) in an environment where a communicative robot with an infra-red radiation monitoring system was introduced. We quantitatively investigated psychological stress, such as feelings of tension, depression, anger, alertness, fatigue and confusion, using POMS-VAS. We also examined feelings of sleepiness, anxiety, discomfort, vagueness, and total stress level, using the "method for checking subjective symptoms". Assessments were conducted at the beginning of the night shift (16:30), before dinner (21:00), before nap (02:30), after nap (04:30) and at the end of the night shift (09:50) before and 4 weeks after introduction of the robot &monitoring system. The effects of the system on the night-time work burden and frequency of accidents were compared and analysed. Result: During the fourth week, compared with the pre-introduction phase, the total fatigue level measured by the "method for checking subjective symptoms" was significantly improved before nap (p < 0.05), after nap (p < 0.05), and the end of the night shift (p < 0.001). In particular, improvement in feelings of anxiety, discomfort and lethargy were remarkable. Along with this improvement, the accidents in nursing home, especially the trauma accidents decreased. Conclusion: The introduction of a communicative robot with an infra-red radiation monitoring system significantly improved the subjective psychological burden of late night nursing care workers, and alleviated the night-time work workload.