Labor shortages are straining healthcare systems worldwide, severely challenging their ability to sustain high-quality, person-centered care, especially for people with intellectual disabilities. As organizations search for innovative assistants, social robots are moving from concept to reality, showing potential to support both clients and overstretched professional caregivers.
Mark Steins, a PhD graduate from a double degree program at Maastricht University and Queensland University of Technology, and his collaborative team, recently investigated this potential. Their field study, "Health Care Professionals' Experiences Regarding Facilitators of and Barriers to Sustained Use of Social Robot Ivy for People with Intellectual Disabilities: Qualitative Interview Study," was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
The Robot Ivy in Real-World Care
The study followed the implementation of "Ivy," a small, friendly social robot, across 19 real-world cases in six different Dutch care organizations for two months. The goal was to move beyond laboratory tests and observe the facilitators of and barriers to sustained use in actual daily care settings. The researchers accomplished this through semi-structured interviews with the health care professionals (professional caregivers) involved in caring for those with intellectual disabilities.
Social Robot Ivy. Source: Image created by the authors; Copyright: Peggy Maes; License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY)
The results were compelling: in about two-thirds of the cases (63%), professional caregivers reported continued use of robot Ivy two months post-implementation. Thematic analysis of interviews revealed that, in these successful instances, Ivy created distinct perceived value for both clients and professionals. For clients, the robot's non-judgmental, consistent communication style proved invaluable, helping individuals become more independent with daily routines like taking medication or getting dressed. This consistent structure also contributed to improved emotional well-being for clients who struggled with emotional regulation.
Creating Time for Meaningful Interaction
For professional caregivers, sustained use of Ivy translated into reduced workload through the automation of repetitive tasks. This freed up their time, allowing for more meaningful human interactions with clients and leading to enhanced work satisfaction among professionals who could then focus on personalized, higher-quality care.
However, use of Ivy was not sustained in all cases. The study carefully classified the factors influencing success and abandonment. The biggest deal-breakers included more complex or unpredictable client care needs, and, crucially, insufficient time to properly set up and program the robot's interactions.
A Blueprint for Future Implementation
The findings underscore a crucial point for long-term care organizations: social robots have the potential to be valuable assistants, but only when implemented thoughtfully. Organizational support – including providing systematic training, dedicated implementation time, and managerial commitment – is required to ensure the technology integrates seamlessly into the care routine, rather than becoming an added burden. This research provides a structured blueprint, classifying the necessary facilitators (key drivers) and barriers (deal-breakers) across four critical domains: client characteristics, health care professional capabilities, contextual conditions, and organizational support.
The research team chose to publish in the Journal of Medical Internet Research because it is the leading journal in digital health innovation, known for evaluating emerging technologies in real-world settings. This focus aligned perfectly with their field study in Dutch care organizations. Furthermore, the journal’s open access format ensures that these vital insights on addressing healthcare workforce challenges through social robotics reach the care professionals who need them most.
To learn more about the specific facilitators and barriers that determine the sustained use of social robots in disability care, watch the video with Mark Steins and read the full research article to explore the detailed qualitative interview study.
Subscribe Now
.png)