A systematic review of attitudes, anxiety, acceptance, and trust towards social robots

As social robots become more common, there is a need to understand how people perceive and interact with such technology. This systematic review seeks to estimate people’s attitudes toward, trust in, anxiety associated with, and acceptance of social robots; as well as factors that are associated with these beliefs. Ninety-seven studies were identified with a combined sample of over 13,000 participants and a standardized score was computed for each in order to represent the valence (positive, negative, or neutral) and magnitude (on a scale from 1 to − 1) of people’s beliefs about robots. Potential moderating factors such as the robots’ domain of application and design, the type of exposure to the robot, and the characteristics of potential users were also investigated. The findings suggest that people generally have positive attitudes towards social robots and are willing to interact with them. This finding may challenge some of the existing doubt surrounding the adoption of robotics in social domains of application but more research is needed to fully understand the factors that influence attitudes

The impact of herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia on quality-of-life

International audienceBACKGROUND: The potentially serious nature of herpes zoster (HZ) and the long-term complication post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) are often underestimated. One in four people will contract herpes zoster in their lifetime, with this risk rising markedly after the age of 50 years, and affecting one in two in elderly individuals. Pain is the predominant symptom in all phases of HZ disease, being reported by up to 90% of patients. In the acute phase, pain is usually moderate or severe, with patients ranking HZ pain as more intense than post-surgical or labour pains. Up to 20% of patients with HZ develop PHN, which is moderate-to-severe chronic pain persisting for months or years after the acute phase. We review the available data on the effect of HZ and PHN on patients' quality-of-life. DISCUSSION: Findings show that HZ, and particularly PHN, have a major impact on patients' lives across all four health domains--physical, psychological, functional and social. There is a clear correlation between increasing severity of pain and greater interference with daily activities. Non-pain complications such as HZ ophthalmicus can increase the risk of permanent physical impairment. Some elderly individuals may experience a permanent loss of independence after an acute episode of HZ. Current challenges in the management of HZ and PHN are highlighted, including the difficulty in administering antiviral agents before pain becomes established and the limited efficacy of pain treatments in many patients. We discuss the clinical rationale for the HZ vaccine and evidence demonstrating that the vaccine reduces the burden of the disease. The Shingles Prevention Study, conducted among >38,000 people aged >or=60 years old, showed that the HZ vaccine significantly reduces the burden of illness and the incidence of both HZ and PHN. In the entire study population, zoster vaccination reduced the severity of interference of HZ and PHN with activities of daily living by two-thirds, as measured by two questionnaires specific to HZ. SUMMARY: A vaccination scheme may positively impact the incidence and course of HZ disease, thereby improving patients' quality-of-life

The provocative lumbar facet joint

Low back pain is the most common pain symptom experienced by American adults and is the second most common reason for primary care physician visits. There are many structures in the lumbar spine that can serve as pain generators and often the etiology of low back pain is multifactorial. However, the facet joint has been increasingly recognized as an important cause of low back pain. Facet joint pain can be diagnosed with local anesthetic blocks of the medial branches or of the facet joints themselves. Subsequent radiofrequency lesioning of the medial branches can provide more long-term pain relief. Despite some of the pitfalls associated with facet joint blocks, they have been shown to be valid, safe, and reliable as a diagnostic tool. Medial branch denervation has shown some promise for the sustained control of lumbar facet joint-mediated pain, but at this time, there is insufficient evidence that it is a wholly efficacious treatment option. Developing a universal algorithm for evaluating facet joint-mediated pain and standard procedural techniques may facilitate the performance of larger outcome studies. This review article provides an overview of the anatomy, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of facet joint-mediated pain

Defining Menstrual Literacy With the Aim of Evaluating Mobile Menstrual Tracking Applications.

For the estimated 75 million people in the United States who menstruate, understanding menstrual health as a critical vital sign is an important aspect of managing personal health. Unsurprisingly, in the past decade, menstrual tracking applications have become increasingly popular, with more than 300 applications available for download and an estimated 200 million downloads worldwide. This study had two purposes. The first was to formulate a definition for menstrual literacy-a baseline of knowledge and skills for understanding anatomical and biological facts of menstruation, caring for the menstruating body, and completing menstrual care tasks-by building on prior work about health literacy and by conducting content analysis of eight Web sites containing information about menstruation. The second was to evaluate a maximum variation sample of 17 menstrual tracking applications; here, features and functions related to the concepts about menstrual literacy identified in a content analysis were compared. These applications had insufficient support for facilitating menstrual literacy, especially for teen and perimenopausal users. The article discusses these disconnects and subsequent design opportunities for menstrual tracking applications to facilitate more robust support of menstrual literacy and overall health of people who menstruate

Data, Capacity-Building, and Training Needs to Address Rural Health Inequities in the Northwest United States: A Qualitative Study

OBJECTIVE: Rural public health system leaders struggle to access and use data for understanding local health inequities and to effectively allocate scarce resources to populations in need. This study sought to determine these rural public health system leaders\u27 data access, capacity, and training needs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted qualitative interviews across Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington with individuals expected to use population data for analysis or decision-making in rural communities. We used content analysis to identify themes. RESULTS: We identified 2 broad themes: (1) challenges in accessing or using data to monitor and address health disparities and (2) needs for training in data use to address health inequities. Participants faced challenges accessing or using data to address rural disparities due to (a) limited availability or access to data, (b) data quality issues, (c) limited staff with expertise and resources for analyzing data, and (d) the diversity within rural jurisdictions. Participants also expressed opportunities for filling capacity gaps through training-particularly for displaying and communicating data. DISCUSSION: Rural public health system leaders expressed data challenges, many of which can be aided by informatics solutions. These include interoperable, accessible, and usable tools that help capture, access, analyze, and display data to support health equity efforts in rural communities. CONCLUSION: Informatics has the potential to address some of the daunting data-related challenges faced by rural public health system leaders working to enhance health equity. Future research should focus on developing informatics solutions to support data access and use in rural communities. © The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: [email protected]

Comfort and Attitudes Towards Robots Among Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: To explore the social impact of, comfort with, and negative attitudes towards robots among young, middle-aged, and older adults in the United States. Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional. Conducted in 2014–2015 in an urban area of the western United States using a purposive sample of adults 18 years of age or older. Methods: Respondents completed a survey that included the Negative Attitudes Toward Robots Scale (NARS) and two questions taken or modified from the European Commission\u27s Autonomous System 2015 Report. Analyses were conducted to compare perceptions and demographic factors by age groups (young adults:18–44, middle-aged adults: 45–64, and older adults: \u3e65 years old). Findings: Sample included 499 individuals (n = 322 age 18–44 years, n = 50 age 45–64 years, and n = 102 age 65–98 years). There were no significant differences between age groups for 9 of the 11 items regarding social impact of robots and comfort with robots. There were no significant differences by age groups for 9 of the 14 items in the NARS. Among those items with statistically significant differences, the mean scores indicate similar sentiments for each group. Conclusions: Older, middle-aged, and younger adults had similar attitudes regarding the social impact of and comfort with robots; they also had similar negative attitudes towards robots. Findings dispel current perceptions that older adults are not as receptive to robots as other adults. This has implications for nurses who integrate supportive robots in their practice. Clinical Relevance: Nurses working in clinical and community roles can use these findings when developing and implementing robotic solutions. Understanding attitudes towards robots can support how, where, and with whom robots can be used in nursing practice. © 2018 Sigma Theta Tau Internationa