The digital generation and nursing robotics: A netnographic study about nursing care robots posted on social media

Abstract

The aim of this study was to present the functionality and design of nursing care robots as depicted in pictures posted on social media. A netnographic study was conducted using social media postings over a period of 3 years. One hundred and Seventy-two images were analyzed using netnographic methodology. The findings show that nursing care robots exist in various designs and functionalities, all with a common denominator of supporting the care of one's own and others' health and/or well-being as a main function. The results also show that functionality and design are influenced by recent popular sci-fi/cartoon contexts as portrayed in blockbuster movies, for example. Robots'designs seem more influenced by popular sci-fi/cartoon culture than professional nursing culture. We therefore stress that it is relevant for nursing researchers to critically reflect upon the development of nursing care robots as a thoughtful discussion about embracing technology also might generate a range of epistemological possibilities when entering a postmodern era of science and practice.

Immersive netnography: a novel method for service experience research in virtual reality, augmented reality and metaverse contexts

“…Distinctive academic fields such as nursing (Eriksson and Salzmann-Erikson, 2017), public relations (Doan and Toledano, 2018) and tourism (Gholamhosseinzadeh et al ., 2021) have all adapted netnography to their field's specific viewpoints and research traditions. Furthermore, for-profit service corporations like American Express and Zurich Insurance; manufacturers like Ford and L'Oréal; and non-profit advocacy groups like the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (Kozinets and Gambetti, 2021) have all embraced netnography and many more besides.…”

Can nurses remain relevant in a technologically advanced future?

“…Nursing today is not the same as it was 30 years ago. From technological advancements such as robotic-assisted surgery which may one day replace surgeons and nurses in the operating rooms [2], humanoid nurse robots which have the possibility of replacing human nurses in hospital wards [3], companion robots that are designed to provide useful and socially acceptable assistance to people who need special attention like the elderly, children who have autism, or the disabled [4], automated dispensing robots which would take away the responsibilities of nurses in medication administration [5] coupled with major progresses seen in the development of ever more sophisticated artificial intelligence that would enable machines to make critical decisions in health care and the coordination of patient care [[6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11]], nurses are facing challenges in the integration of these new technologies particularly in their practice. However, what if these technological advancements are making human nurses and their practice irrelevant in healthcare?…”

Nurse preferences of caring robots: A conjoint experiment to explore most valued robot features

“…With the potential revolution in the computational power of artificial intelligence, Metzler et al ( 2016 ) and Locsin ( 2017 ) have envisioned a future in which robots could become true professional collaborators of nurses. However, one of the main criticisms of the development of such skilled robots is that nurses seem to have very limited (or no) say in the development of robots for nursing (Archibald and Barnard, 2018 ; Eriksson et al, 2017 ). This may be explained by the limited expertise of nurses and the limited research on robotics.…”