Abstract
This study clarifies the actual utilization of communication robots (C. robots) by staff in medical and care facilities and the factors related to their continued use. Accordingly, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 44 staff members working in medical and care facilities that own C. robots, and the results were analyzed using methods such as Fisher′s exact test and correspondence analysis. Approximately 60% of the facilities were not adequately utilizing C. robots after their introduction. Factors related to the continued use of C. robots include “high professional self-esteem among staff”, “difficulty in matching the characteristics of patients or residents with those of C. robots”, “voice and appearance”, “the need for staff to mediate interactions between patients or residents and C. robotsz, andyexpectations for C. robots to reduce workload”. These results suggest that when it is difficult to match the characteristics of patients or residents with those of C. robots, or when staff mediation is required for interactions, the resulting burden on staff becomes a factor leading to the underutilization of C. robots.
