Inpatient Nurses' Anticipatory Perspectives on Assistive Robots: Qualitative Study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Technology
• Nursing Informatics
• Human-Robot Interaction

Background:

• Existing research on assistive robots in nursing often focuses on post-implementation acceptance and usability.
• Fewer studies examine nurses' pre-implementation conceptualizations of these robots, especially in settings with limited exposure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore inpatient nurses' anticipatory perspectives on assistive robots before routine deployment.
• To examine how nurses construct perceived benefits, concerns, and implementation conditions at the preimplementation stage.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative descriptive study involving semistructured interviews with 16 registered nurses in Singapore.
• Interviews were conducted with nurses who had limited exposure to assistive robots (pilots, demonstrations, indirect sources).
• Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze interview transcripts.

Main Results:

• Nurses expressed cautious optimism about assistive robots supporting nursing tasks, alongside concerns about safety, professional identity, relational care, and feasibility.
• Key themes included anticipatory optimism, negotiating safety and boundaries, viewing robots as workload support, and conditions for responsible implementation.
• Concerns involved patient safety, loss of human touch, technical reliability, cost, and organizational factors.

Conclusions:

• Acceptance of assistive robots hinges on perceived usefulness, alignment with professional values, patient safety, relational care, and organizational readiness.
• Early nurse involvement, human-centered implementation, training, and clear governance are crucial for successful integration.
• Assistive robots should augment, not undermine, nursing practice through thoughtful implementation strategies.