Beyond the Circuit. Evaluating the Impact of Social Robots in Pediatric Healthcare: Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Healthcare Technology
• Human-Robot Interaction
• Child Development

Background:

• Social robots are increasingly utilized in healthcare settings.
• Their application in pediatric care is less understood compared to adult populations.
• Previous reviews often focused on specific pediatric conditions or robot types.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct the first comprehensive systematic review of social robots in diverse pediatric contexts.
• To synthesize existing evidence on the use of social robots for children.
• To identify gaps and guide future research in this emerging field.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across multiple databases.
• Inclusion of studies examining social robots in various pediatric applications.
• Qualitative synthesis of findings from selected studies.

Main Results:

• Social robots demonstrate potential benefits across various pediatric applications.
• Evidence suggests positive impacts on engagement, therapy, and social interaction for children.
• Significant heterogeneity in study designs, methodologies, and outcome measures was observed.

Conclusions:

• Social robots hold considerable potential for enhancing pediatric care.
• The current research landscape necessitates more standardized and robust study designs.
• Future research should focus on rigorous methodologies to improve generalizability and clinical impact.