Determinants of implementing pet robots in nursing homes for dementia care

Abstract

Background Pet robots have been employed as viable substitutes to pet therapy in nursing homes. Despite their potential to enhance the psychosocial health of residents with dementia, there is a lack of studies that have investigated determinants of implementing pet robots in real-world practice. This study aims to explore the determinants of implementing pet robots for dementia care in nursing homes, from the perspectives of healthcare professionals and organisational leaders. Methods A descriptive qualitative study, conceptualised and guided using the Consolidated Framework of Implementation Research (CFIR), was conducted. We conducted semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals and organisational leaders from nursing homes. Data was transcribed and analysed using Framework Analysis, based on the CFIR as an a priori framework. Results A total of 22 participants from eight nursing homes were included. Determinants were mapped to constructs from all five CFIR domains. Determinants relating to the characteristics of pet robots include their design, realisticness and interactivity, affordability, cleanability, perceived evidence strength and comparative advantages to live pets. Determinants relating to external influences (outer setting) include national regulatory guidelines, funding and networks with other organisations. With regards to characteristics of nursing homes (inner setting), determinants include the relevance of pet robots in relation to the needs of residents with dementia, alignment with care processes, infection control mandates and their relative priority. In the domain ‘characteristics of individuals’, determinants were associated with individuals’ beliefs on the role of technology, desires to enhance residents’ quality of life, and differential attitudes on the use of robots. Finally, in the domain ‘implementation process’, assessments and care planning were identified as determinants. Conclusions Overall, while sentiments around determinants within CFIR domains of pet robots’ characteristics, outer setting and implementation process were similar, participants’ opinions on the determinants within the ‘inner setting’ and ‘characteristics of individuals’ were more varied. This could be due to different organisational structures, disciplinary differences and personal experiences of using pet robots. Many determinants in different domains were interrelated. Findings provide a springboard for identifying and designing implementation strategies to guide the translation of pet robots from research into real-world practice.

Beyond Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle – staff perceptions on facilitators and barriers to the implementation of telepresence robots in long-term care

“…Operational and frontline leaders should dedicate time and provide an open space for the staff to reflect on the implementation process [ 44 ] and listen to their concerns and feedback on a diverse aspect of the intervention, e.g., acceptability of the robots and training processes to inform the analysis in the ‘study’ stage. Koh et al [ 45 ] demonstrated how joint discussions with colleagues allowed staff to express their concerns and empower each other with skills to manage the negative reactions of residents using the pet robots.…”

The ethics of pet robots in dementia care settings: Care professionals’ and organisational leaders’ ethical intuitions

“…However, exploring ethical intuitions was not the focus of the original research. As such, a secondary analysis was considered appropriate to address this observed phenomenon ( 40 ). Based on Heaton’s classification of QSA, our approach aligns with a “supra analysis” approach, where the focus of the secondary questions transcends the focus of the original research to “examine new empirical, theoretical or methodological questions” ( 41 ).…”

“…The original dataset was derived from a descriptive qualitative study, which explored the determinants of implementing pet robots for nursing home residents with dementia ( 40 ).…”

“…All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Detailed methods are described elsewhere ( 40 , 43 ).…”

Robots for Elderly Care: Review, Multi-Criteria Optimization Model and Qualitative Case Study

“…This type of robot usage impacts occupational disruptiveness, as an indicator of care provider burden [38]. Pet robots have been also employed as viable substitutes for pet therapy in nursing homes [39]. Pet robots are technology-based substitutes for animal-assisted therapy.…”