Socially Assistive Robots for Parkinson's Disease: Needs, Attitudes and Specific Applications as Identified by Healthcare Professionals

To explore how socially assistive robots (SARs) may assist the specific needs of individuals with Parkinson's disease (IwPD), we conducted three focus groups with 12 clinicians who treat IwPD. We present a thematic analysis of their perceptions of the needs of the patients, and their own expectations, perceived advantages, disadvantages and concerns regarding the use of SARs for IwPD. Clinicians were positive towards using SARs for IwPD, if used in the patient's home, for motor, communication, emotional, and cognitive needs, especially for practice and for help with activities of daily living. They were concerned that a SAR might be used to replace clinicians' work, and stressed it should only augment the clinicians' work. They thought a SAR may relieve some of the burden experienced by informal caregivers, and identified specific applications for SARs for PD. We asked 18 stakeholders (nine IwPD, nine family members) to rate their level of agreement with the clinicians' statements. The greatest divergence between their views and those of the clinicians was on the topic of using a SAR as a companion, or as a feeding assistant, to which they objected. This work may be used as a basis for future studies designing SARs for IwPD.

Automated summary

By conducting focus groups with clinicians, this study explores how socially assistive robots (SARs) can meet the specific needs of individuals with Parkinson's disease (IwPD). The clinicians are positive towards using SARs for motor, communication, emotional, and cognitive needs of IwPD, especially for practice and help with daily activities. However, they also have concerns about SARs replacing clinicians' work and emphasize the need for SARs to augment their work. The study also finds differences in views between clinicians and stakeholders on using SARs as companions or feeding assistants.