Facilitating acceptance, trust, and ethical integration of socially assistive robots among nurses: A quasi-experimental study

• Socially assistive humanoid robots have the potential to revolutionize nursing and care and reduce caregiver burden. • The acceptance of these robots exceeds their appearance. • Misconceptions about these robots are hindering their integration into hospital routines. • This paper contributes to understanding trust and acceptance of socially assistive humanoid robots during hospitalization. • Physical demonstrations help accurately assess usability and acceptance of these robots. • Live demonstrations have a profound impact on perceived (ethical) acceptability compared to video demonstrations. Objectives: To evaluate the impact of different types of demonstrations (no demonstration, video demonstration, and face-to-face demonstration) on nurses’ acceptance, trust, and ethical considerations regarding socially assistive robots. Methods: The study employed a quasi-experimental design involving 312 nurses: 201 with no exposure to socially assistive robots, 97 exposed via video demonstrations, and 14 exposed through live face-to-face demonstrations in a hospital room. Participants completed self-report measures assessing their perceptions of ethical acceptability, trust, and acceptance of socially assistive robots. Results: Participants exposed to any kind of demonstration reported significantly higher perceptions of ethical acceptability compared to those with no exposure. Among demonstration types, live face-to-face demonstrations resulted in higher overall ethical acceptability, satisfaction, and acceptance compared to video demonstrations. Conclusions: Demonstrations, particularly face-to-face interactions, play a crucial role in fostering ethical acceptability and overall acceptance of socially assistive robots. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating live demonstrations in strategies to improve healthcare professionals’ trust and acceptance of robotic technology.