Nurses' Experiences and Attitudes Toward the Use of Nursing Robots: A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Researches

To systematically synthesize the existing qualitative evidence on the experiences and attitudes of nurses toward nursing robots. We searched six English databases (PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO) and four Chinese databases (CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, CBM) from their inception to May 2024. The JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research was used to critically appraise studies. The methodology used in this review was thematic synthesis. Qualitative data were extracted, summarized, and synthesized. From the included 16 articles, 49 research results were extracted, summarized into 15 categories, and further synthesized into five integrated results. The five integrated results were as follows: (1) benefits of using nursing robots; (2) attitudes toward the use of nursing robots; (3) challenges of using nursing robots; (4) needs for further improvement of nursing robots; and (5) expectations of external support systems. Nurses generally hold a positive attitude toward nursing robots, despite various needs and challenges. In the future, nurses should collaborate on robot design and be aware of the ethical concerns and potential risks associated with utilizing nursing robots.