Development and usability evaluation of a bedside robot system for inpatients

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Technology
• Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare

Background:

• Inpatients frequently experience anxiety and fear regarding medical treatments.
• Healthcare staff often lack sufficient time to offer adequate emotional support to patients.
• Advancements in information and communications technology (ICT) and AI are being explored to address these challenges in healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a bedside robot system for delivering information and emotional support to inpatients.
• To evaluate the usability and patient perceptions of the developed robot system.

Main Methods:

• Essential robot functions were identified through user demand surveys.
• A prototype was developed by integrating essential functions into the robot's hardware and software.
• Usability and perceptions were assessed in a simulated hospital environment using the think-aloud method, surveys, and interviews with nurses, patients, and caregivers.

Main Results:

• The robot system demonstrated positive user perceptions, with high scores for usefulness (5.28 ± 1.27), ease of use (5.42 ± 1.55), and satisfaction (5.27 ± 1.46) out of 7.
• Qualitative analysis indicated that participants viewed the robot as a positive source of emotional support through communication.
• Overall, participants perceived the robot favorably.

Conclusions:

• The developed bedside robot, incorporating HRI technology, serves as a viable alternative for patient care in the current era.
• The robot can contribute to more self-directed hospital stays by providing information and emotional support.
• This technology offers a novel approach to enhance patient well-being and communication within healthcare settings.