Attitudes of heads of education and directors of research towards the need for social robotics education in universities

We explored the attitudes of the Heads of Education and the Directors of Research towards the need for Social Robotics Courses in Finland. The methods consisted of a cross-sectional survey (n = 21) and data was analyzed with descriptive methods and Pearson correlation tests. The results showed that the attitudes of respondents towards social robots were positive and they stated that robotics courses would be essential for universities. The respondents reported that the social service and healthcare sector will use social robots in the near future, but more training sessions are needed. So far, universities have offered only few applied robotics courses for healthcare students. This study also found that the surveyed universities have not yet taken into account the development of service and social robotics in the healthcare sector.Scopu

The Potential use of Social Robots in Acute Paediatric Settings: A mixed-methods exploration of feasibility, acceptance, and utility.

The hospital can be an anxious place for paediatric patients. Reducing and managing anxiety in children is important; finding tools and interventions to support this is essential to the healthcare of paediatric patients. Social robots offer a new way of interacting with children and have the potential to reduce negative emotions. Even though research has found that social robots could potentially be an anxiety-preventing tool, there is no research exploring how children play in hospital settings and which features are required for social robots to impact paediatric patients positively. There are also gaps regarding parents of paediatric patients' and healthcare professionals' views on social robots and how they feel about using them as a tool within a hospital setting. This thesis examined the feasibility of using social robots in four hospital settings to address this gap. Observations of paediatric patients revealed the importance of tactile play and games with rules as popular forms of interaction with social robots. Questionnaires and interviews gathered feedback from paediatric patients, parents, and healthcare professionals. Overall, the response to social robots was positive, with parents and healthcare professionals acknowledging their potential benefits in reducing anxiety. However, some paediatric patients did not find the social robot relaxing, and there were mixed opinions on its anxiety-reducing capabilities. While parents noticed a change in their children's negative moods and enjoyed the interaction, a few were uncertain about anxiety reduction. Healthcare professionals expressed excitement about social robots but sought further clarity on their practical implementation in a hospital setting. Despite the promising aspects, this thesis highlights the need for further research and development. Large-scale comparisons of social robots in diverse hospital settings and longitudinal studies with paediatric patients are warranted to gain deeper insights and enhance the practicality of using social robots as anxiety-reducing tools in paediatric care