Robotics in Nursing: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Purpose Driven by the shortage in qualified nurses and the high percentage of aging populations, the past decade has witnessed a significant growth in the use of robots in nursing, especially in countries like Japan. This article is a scoping review of the different tracks in which robots are used in nursing. Whereas assistive robots are used for physical care, including service and monitoring tasks, social assistive robots focus on the cognitive and emotional well‐being of patients in need of companionship. Methods A total of six electronic databases were used in the search for journal papers and conference proceedings. The key words used in searching the databases were nursing OR nurses, AND robots OR robotics. Topics covering surgical robotics, nursing education robotics, and clinical procedures were excluded. Findings A total of 1,758 articles were retrieved, from which 69 articles were included in the final review. The analysis of the chosen papers led to the categorization of robots into two main categories: assistive robots and social assistive robots. Conclusions After a detailed review of the state of the art in assistive robots and social assistive robots, an insight into the future of robotics in this field is provided. The recommendations include the need to intensify research on human robot interaction, greater focus on monitoring robots, and analysis of the psychological barriers that need to be surmounted to achieve more tolerance and higher acceptance of robots. Clinical Relevance For researchers and developers to provide suitable technological solutions, a full understanding of robotics in nursing is needed. An overview of the most recent applications and their proper categorization is key to finding areas for contribution.

Informatics and Artificial Intelligence Approaches that Promote Use of Integrative Health Therapies in Nursing Practice: A Scoping Review

“…All studies demonstrated positive results in using AI robots to promote IH therapies. It is notable that there is considerable interest in using robots to support animal-assisted therapy for older adults with dementia and cognitive impairments, consistent with a previous review on the use of robots in nursing [41]. The majority of reviewed studies evaluated their robotic applications from patients' perspectives or outcomes; additional research is needed regarding the attitude of nursing staff towards robots assisting IH therapy delivery [64].…”

“…None of the reviewed articles described the theoretical foundations of their approaches, consistent with previous literature urging the need of theoretical approaches to informatics and AI applications supporting healthcare [73]. Previous research has demonstrated that theories provide frameworks for guiding healthcare technology design, implementation, and evaluation [41][42][43]. Informatics and AI approaches for nursing IH therapies should also be developed and evaluated based on evidence-informed theoretical frameworks.…”

“…For instance, a robotic application using image recognition techniques was developed to facilitate the localization and stimulation of acupuncture points [22]. Another example is the development of several companion and humanoid robots to facilitate animal-assisted therapies and psychotherapy for patients with cognitive impairments [41]. All these applications demonstrated the applicability of such techniques for promoting use of IH therapies in nursing.…”

Predicted Influences of Artificial Intelligence on the Domains of Nursing: Scoping Review

“…The results included all types of studies (quantitative, qualitative, mixed method, systematic reviews, and scoping reviews) as well as gray literature including reports, editorials, and opinion pieces (Multimedia Appendix 3 provides more details [2,13,14,18,21,). A total of 16 included articles were also cited in the systematic and scoping reviews that were included.…”

“…In the LTC sector, there is evidence that robotic devices have been used to assist nurses in meeting residents' hygiene and care needs (eg, toileting, lifting/transferring, and meal delivery), demonstrating the potential for these tools to reduce nursing workload in this clinical setting [21,[64][65][66][67]. AIHTs such as CDSSs have also been used by nurses in this sector to tailor the residents' plan of care based on their preferences for activities and personal care, thereby enhancing person-centered care and maximizing the staff's time [68].…”