Enhancing trust in healthcare robotics: implications derived from medical professionals' perspectives

Trust is essential for effective teamwork in healthcare, enhancing staff performance, psychological well-being, and the quality of care. With rising workloads and global nursing staff shortages, technologies like robotic systems become increasingly relevant. This contribution examines trust-influencing factors in human-robot interaction in the medical domain.

To identify implications for our robotic system KIRA-med, we conducted a structured literature search in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, IEEE Xplore, and Scopus were searched from January 2015 to December 2025 to identify studies investigating medical staff's trust in robotic systems. Studies including medical staff like nurses or physicians that reported trust while interacting with a robotic system in the clinical context were included.

Three studies were included, primarily evaluating humanoid or telepresence robots with small cohorts in short-term, controlled laboratory settings. Trust was measured using diverse questionnaires and scales, often as a secondary outcome rather than the primary focus. Identified system requirements to foster trust included introducing the robot to the staff, providing training, and employing expressive cues.

Building trust between medical staff and robotic systems is crucial for their effective use. Trust research on robotic systems such as KIRA-med can help to streamline workflows, reduce staff burden, and free time for direct patient care, enhancing overall care quality.