The Social Robot and the Digital Physiotherapist: Are We Ready for the Team Play?

Abstract

Motivation: We are witnessing two phenomena. The first is that the physiotherapist is increasingly becoming a figure that must interact with Digital Health. On the other hand, social robots through research are improving more and more in the aspects of social interaction thanks also to artificial intelligence and becoming useful in rehabilitation processes. It begins to become strategic to investigate the intersections between these two phenomena. Objective: Therefore, we set ourselves the goal of investigating the consensus and opinion of physiotherapists around the introduction of social robots in clinical practice both in rehabilitation and assistance. Procedure: An electronic survey has been developed focused on social robot-based rehabilitation and assistance and has been submitted to subjects focused on physiotherapy sciences to investigate their opinion and their level of consent regarding the use of the social robot in rehabilitation and assistance. Two samples of subjects were recruited: the first group (156 participating subjects, 79 males, 77 females, mean age 24.3 years) was in the training phase, and the second (167 participating subjects, 86 males, 81 females, mean age 42.4 years) group was involved in the work processes. An electronic feedback form was also submitted to investigate the acceptance of the proposed methodology. Results: The survey showed a consistency of the results between the two samples from which interesting considerations emerge. Contrary to stereotypes that report how AI-based devices put jobs at risk, physiotherapists are not afraid of these devices. The subjects involved in the study believe the following: (a) social robots can be reliable co-workers but will remain a complementary device; (b) their role will be of the utmost importance as an operational manager in their use and in performance monitoring; (c) these devices will allow an increase in working capacity and facilitate integration. All those involved in the study believe that the proposed electronic survey has proved to be a useful and effective tool that can be useful as a periodic monitoring tool and useful for scientific societies. Conclusions: The evolution of social robots represents an unstoppable process as does the increase in the aging of the population. Stakeholders must not look with suspicion toward these devices, which can represent an important resource, but rather invest in monitoring and consensus training initiatives.

Ten Years of TeleHealth and Digital Healthcare: Where Are We?

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a real training ground in this field and an unexpected growth stimulus never experienced before, with the consolidation of ancient areas and the exploration of new areas. Furthermore, even in TH and DH, one can currently count on the use of emerging technologies, such as robotics [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ], augmented reality [ 28 ], virtual reality [ 29 ], and artificial intelligence [ 30 , 31 ]. Moreover, assistive technologies have played a strategic role during the pandemic as they were consolidated in the context of different applications and disabilities relating communication and motion [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ].…”

“…Big Data have played a strategic role in overcoming the pandemic [ 52 ]. Assistance for the disabled has tested new solutions [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ], such as the social robot, which has played an innovative role as a support and/or mediator between a therapist and a patient [ 24 , 25 , 27 ]. In this case, the therapist have experienced a radical change in their role.…”

“…An example of this is the drive towards technological innovation being followed by regulatory consolidation, related to the trustworthiness of the AI regarding digital radiology integrated with AI [ 62 ]. The increase in the use of digital technologies with TH and DH also has important implications for cybersecurity, which must be particularly considered, even in emerging sectors, such as the use of mobile technologies and robotics in healthcare (for example, social robotics), where new risks are present for professionals and citizens [ 27 , 53 , 63 ].…”

Proceedings of the 17th International Research Symposium on Service Excellence in Management - QUIS17

“…According to Tan et al (2017), a high level of cognition is crucial and depends on the design of technology, the user interface, the integration into rehabilitation protocols, and the integration with human factors in system designing and implementation. Thus, there is a relevant complexity to manage in the shift from the physical/digital to an integrated view of the two realms where humans and technological elements must effectively interact as teams (Simeoni et al, 2021). In fact, it is important to note that the 'shift' does not imply a physical or digital choice; rather, it implies a physical and digital integration and indicates that it is important the way actors look at this change because their subjective views can be a further source of complexity.…”

“…Each dynamic of the system is cognitively processed by the interacting actors through their information varieties significantly determining its outcome. With reference to the example about telerehabilitation under focus, it goes without saying that the remote presence and the physical treatment mediated, for example, by robots obviously impact interaction between the therapist and the patients (Simeoni et al, 2021). The digital shift, in fact, cannot be generalized, as everything in healthcare, which is now going towards an increasing personalization of treatments.…”