Perspectives of Robotic Nursery from the Viewpoint of Hospital Management: German Evidence

Objective: The objective of this study is to identify the perception of opportunities and risks by hospital managers with regard to the implementation of autonomous care robots in practice. Methods: The empirical study is based on a qualitative research approach and uses the grounded theory methodology. Using purposive sampling, 11 experts for in-depth interviews were selected to gain the necessary data. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. The transcripts were coded and analyzed using MAXQDA software. Results: The care provided by autonomous robots is generally positively perceived by hospital management; it is expected that it will inevitably be put into practice, even if it brings considerable risks. These are, however, outweighed by the advantages resulting from, for example, value-neutral care, uninterrupted availability, increased independence for patients, maintaining the system despite a shortage of nursing staff, etc. A large-scale reorganization of hospital funding will be necessary, as well as communication with patients to help them become confident in robotic care. Conclusion: There was widespread agreement across the interviews that it will no longer be possible to provide nursing care without robots in the future. Nursing staff should start preparing, i.e., get training so that they perceive robots as their helpers and not as threats or competitors, and this joint care of humans and robots should be included in nursing practice during high school studies. Cite this article as: Lehner B, Blažková I. Perspectives of robotic nursery from the viewpoint of hospital management: German evidence. Arch Health Sci Res. 2024;11(3):191-195.