Examining the use and outcomes of social robot interventions in medication processes - A scoping review

Authors

• Malin Andtfolk Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa
• Sara Rosenberg Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa; Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Turku
• Susanne Hägglund Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa; Experience Lab, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Vaasa
• Linda Estman Department of Caring and Ethics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23996/fjhw.148855

Keywords:

social robots, medication counselling, medication safety, health care

Abstract

A safe medication process is a central part of clients’ comprehensive care. The multistep process of delivering a medication from the social and healthcare field to the client includes ordering/prescribing, transcribing/ verifying, dispensing/ delivering, medication administering, as well as monitoring/ reporting. Research in social robots is important to further understand and improve safe and successful medication processes. The aim of this study was to examine the use of social robot interventions in medication processes and to identify outcomes associated with such interventions.

The method used was a scoping review proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005). To identify relevant literature, a systematic search from 2018 to 2024 of the PubMed, EBSCOhost, CINAHL, MEDLINE databases was conducted, complemented with a free search using Google Scholar and reference harvesting. The initial search was conducted in May 2023, and the final search was conducted in June 2024. 

Of the 2095 studies screened, seven studies were included. Use of social robots was identified in interventions such as dispensing/ delivering, medication administering, as well as monitoring/ reporting. The results showed that social robots can effectively support medication adherence, assist with health management, and provide valuable companionship and reminders. Technical issues such as errors in recognizing medication intake, communication limitations, and user discomfort were also noted, which impacted the overall effectiveness and acceptance of the robots.

A better approach of integrating existing social and healthcare as well as pharmacy systems with robot software solutions is needed. This study supports the importance of co-designing and evaluating social robot interventions in real-life scenarios. However, due to limited prior research, further development and testing of social robots for specific medication process interventions is recommended.