Intelligent Physical Robots in Health Care: Systematic Literature Review

Area of Science:

• Robotics in Healthcare
• Artificial Intelligence Applications
• Human-Robot Interaction

Background:

• The integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered intelligent physical robots in healthcare promises significant service transformations.
• Existing research explores various facets of healthcare robotics, yet a comprehensive overview of use antecedents and consequences is lacking.

Approach:

• A systematic literature review adhering to PRISMA guidelines was conducted.
• Searches across five major databases (PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL) identified relevant studies up to May 2021.
• Included studies were quality-assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool, followed by exploratory content analysis.

Key Points:

• 94 articles were reviewed, covering diverse robot types (mechanoid, humanoid, android, animalistic) used across various healthcare settings and by different user groups.
• Antecedents of robot use are categorized into individual, organizational, and robot-specific factors.
• Consequences encompass non-health-related outcomes (emotional, attitudinal, behavioral) and health promotion (physical, mental, social).

Conclusions:

• This review consolidates current knowledge on intelligent physical robot use in healthcare.
• It identifies key antecedents and consequences, providing an integrative framework for understanding their impact.
• Identified knowledge gaps inform proposed future research agendas in healthcare robotics.