Acceptability of Using a Robotic Nursing Assistant in Health Care Environments: Experimental Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Robotics in Healthcare
• Nursing Technology
• Human-Robot Interaction

Background:

• The US faces a significant nursing shortage, projected to require over 1.1 million new positions by 2022.
• Nurses experience a high incidence of musculoskeletal disorders, impacting workforce health.
• Robot-assisted healthcare offers solutions for nursing shortages and reducing physical strain on staff.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the acceptability of the Adaptive Robotic Nurse Assistant (ARNA) among nursing students.
• To evaluate the perceived ease of use and usefulness of ARNA for patient ambulatory assistance.
• To assess ARNA's potential to enhance nurse productivity in physical and non-physical tasks.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 24 nursing students in a simulated hospital environment.
• Participants were paired as nurses and patients to evaluate ARNA.
• Questionnaires based on the Technology Acceptance Model assessed perceived usefulness and ease of use.

Main Results:

• Questionnaires demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha: .93 for usefulness, .82 for ease of use).
• Average perceived usefulness was 4.13 and perceived ease of use was 5.42 (out of 7).
• Results indicate higher-than-average acceptability of the ARNA service robot.

Conclusions:

• The study identified factors influencing nurses' acceptance of robotic assistants.
• Areas for improvement include ARNA's flexibility, ease of operation, and autonomy.
• Findings suggest ARNA has potential to support nurses and improve patient care.