Social Robot Interactions in a Pediatric Hospital Setting: Perspectives of Children, Parents, and Healthcare Providers

摘要

Socially assistive robots are embodied technological artifacts that can interact socially with people. These devices are increasingly investigated as a means of mental health support in different populations, especially for alleviating loneliness, depression, and anxiety. While the number of available, increasingly sophisticated social robots is growing, their adoption is slower than anticipated. There is much effort to determine the effectiveness of social robots in various settings, including healthcare; however, little is known about the acceptability of these devices by the following distinct user groups: healthcare providers, parents, and children. To better understand the priorities and attitudes of social robot users, we carried out (1) a survey of parents and children who have previously been admitted to a hospital and (2) a series of three modified focus group meetings with healthcare providers. The online survey (n = 71) used closed and open-ended questions as well as validated measures to establish the attitudes of children and parents towards social human–robot interaction and identify any potential barriers to the implementation of a robot intervention in a hospital setting. In the focus group meetings with healthcare providers (n = 10), we identified novel potential applications and interaction modalities of social robots in a hospital setting. Several concerns and barriers to the implementation of social robots were discussed. Overall, all user groups have positive attitudes towards interactions with social robots, provided that their concerns regarding robot use are addressed during interaction development. Our results reveal novel social robot application areas in hospital settings, such as rapport-building between patients and healthcare providers and fostering patient involvement in their own care. Healthcare providers highlighted the value of being included and consulted throughout the process of child–robot interaction development to ensure the acceptability of social robots in this setting and minimize potential harm.