Perspectives of Healthcare Providers to Inform the Design of an AI-Enhanced Social Robot in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Hudson, Summer; Nishat, Fareha; Stinson, Jennifer; Litwin, Sasha; Zeller, Frauke; Wiles, Brittany; Foster, Mary Ellen; Ali, Samina

Abstract

Children commonly experience pain and distress in healthcare settings related to medical procedures such as blood tests and intravenous insertions (IVIs). Inadequately addressed pain and distress can result in both short- and long-term negative consequences. The use of socially assistive robotics (SARs) to reduce procedure-related distress and pain in children’s healthcare settings has shown promise; however, the current options lack autonomous adaptability. This study presents a descriptive qualitative needs assessment of healthcare providers (HCPs) in two Canadian pediatric emergency departments (ED) to inform the design an artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced social robot to be used as a distraction tool in the ED to facilitate IVIs. Semi-structured virtual individual and focus group interviews were conducted with eleven HCPs. Four main themes were identified: (1) common challenges during IVIs (i.e., child distress and resource limitations), (2) available tools for pain and distress management during IVIs (i.e., pharmacological and non-pharmacological), (3) response to SAR appearance and functionality (i.e., personalized emotional support, adaptive distraction based on child’s preferences, and positive reinforcement), and (4) anticipated benefits and challenges of SAR in the ED (i.e., ensuring developmentally appropriate interactions and space limitations). HCPs perceive AI-enhanced social robots as a promising tool for distraction during IVIs in the ED.

Citation

Hudson, S., Nishat, F., Stinson, J., Litwin, S., Zeller, F., Wiles, B., Foster, M. E., & Ali, S. (2023). Perspectives of Healthcare Providers to Inform the Design of an AI-Enhanced Social Robot in the Pediatric Emergency Department. Children, 10(9), Article 1511. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10091511

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 4, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Sep 6, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-09
• Deposit Date: Sep 11, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 11, 2023
• Electronic ISSN: 2227-9067
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 9
• Article Number: 1511
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/children10091511
• Keywords: artificial intelligence, social robotics;, needs assessment, procedural distress, children, pain, co-design
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/3185049