Using social robot PLEO to enhance the well-being of hospitalised children

Abstract

Hospitalisation is stressful for children. Play material is often offered for distraction and comfort. We explored how contact with social robot PLEO could positively affect a child’s well-being. To this end, we performed a multiple case study on the paediatric ward of two hospitals. Child life specialists offered PLEO as a therapeutic activity to children in a personalised way for a well-being related purpose in three to five play like activity sessions during hospital visits/stay. Robot–child interaction was observed; care professionals, children and parents were interviewed. Applying direct content analysis revealed six categories of interest: interaction with PLEO, role of the adults, preferences for PLEO, PLEO as buddy, attainment of predetermined goal(s) and deployment of PLEO. Four girls and five boys, aged 4–13, had PLEO offered as a relief from stress or boredom or for physical stimulation. All but one started interacting with PLEO and showed behaviours like hugging, caring or technical exploration, promoting relaxation, activation and/or making contact. Interaction with PLEO contributed to achieving the well-being related purpose for six of them. PLEO was perceived as attractive to elicit play. Although data are limited, promising results emerge that the well-being of hospitalised children might be fostered by a personalised PLEO offer.

Social Robots in Hospitals: A Systematic Review

“…Regarding the appearance of robots or the features of robots intended for use by children or the elderly, pet-like SAR, like dinosaurs or animals (Pleo, Paro, Parrot, Aibo, Huggable, or iCat) are preferred [18,21,26,34,38]. People can also interpret affective non-verbal behavior in robots [21].…”

“…Social robots can help with the global problem of the shortage of specialized medical personnel by doing several tasks [82], but their implementation in hospitals must be carried out conscientiously [23]. Robots have been used to quantify significant harm levels in autistic children, by professional caregivers of the elderly, to accompany the elderly while walking, to help persons with motor impairment (i.e., quadriplegia), to monitor and correct during rehabilitation for head, neck, and back pain [16,36], and as a mediator in the interaction with the physician or nurse who performed the treatment [18]. Additionally, social robots can be rehabilitation therapists at home [20] or do administrative tasks, such as reception [29,51] in hospitals [22,60].…”

“…(2020) [18] To address ethical issues coming to healthcare providers' attention involving AAL technologies in the elderly population.…”

“…Project MOnarCH (MOnarCH (Multi-Robot Cognitive Systems Operating in Hospitals) is a well-documented European FP7 project for edutainment activities in the pediatric ward of an oncological hospital [30,43,45,61]. Robots can improve the quality of life of children by interacting with them in hospitals through social and play dynamics, and as school teaching assistants [18,45,50].…”

“…Additionally, for long-term relationships and bonding, PLEO is used in the caring system [62], where the child's wellbeing is a priority. Because of its appearance, reminiscent of dinosaurs or an electronic toy, children found PLEO appealing [18]. Stress is a characteristic that is unfortunately also present during long periods of convalescence; interactive stuffed animals can positively influence a child's mood and improve their quality of life during hospitalization.…”