Nurses’ Perceptions of Care Robots in Long-term Care Facilities

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify long-term care facility nurses' perceptions on the use of care robots. Methods: The participants were 106 nurses in seventeen long-term care facilities. The perception of care robots was measured using questionnaires on the availability and efficiency for major nursing care tasks. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANOVA with SPSS/WIN 24.0. Results: Among the participants, 46.2% said they needed an introduction on care robots, 59.4% had heard about care robots, and 11.3% had educational experience with care robots. The perception of care robots by the participants was 3.320.60 for the view of availability and 3.320.61 for the view of efficiency. Measurement and monitoring areas were found to be high in terms of both availability and efficiency. The perception of care robots according to experiences with care robots (t=2.66, p=.009) showed a statistically significant difference. Conclusion: Nurses in long-term care facilities reported that care robots are needed and that care robots are available and efficient in nursing care. It is necessary to reflect the opinions of nurses in the development of care robots, and to support the nurses' experience with care robots and the facilities and devices for care robots.