A Discrete Choice Experiment on Professional Caregiver's Preferences for Bathing and Excretion Care Robots

This study aimed to identify the preferences of professional caregivers considering the functional attributes of bathing and excretion care robots using a discrete choice experiment. A total of 23 professional caregivers participated, each responding to seven choice sets per robot type. The mixed logit model revealed that, for bathing care robots, the transfer assistance function had the highest preference, while higher rental costs significantly decreased selection probability. For excretion care robots, participants showed a strong preference for automatic waste disposal, dual urine feces detection, and post-excretion washing and drying functions, indicating a high value placed on hygiene automation. Relative importance analysis showed that price was the most influential factor affecting bathing care robots, whereas waste management automation was most critical for excretion care robots. These findings highlight the emphasis of caregivers on functions that reduce physical and hygienic burdens and their sensitivity to service cost. The results provide practical implications for user-centered robot design, pricing strategies, and policy development to facilitate the effective adoption of care robots in long-term care environments.