Consider different contextual factors to implement social robots in dementia care
Guidance
Technology developers and researchers should be aware of the different contextual factors that can affect the translation of research on social robots to real-world use.
Explanation and examples
Barriers and facilitators affecting the implementationA set of planned, intentional activities that aim to put into practice evidence-informed policies and practices in real-world services (see www.implementation.eu) of social robots can occur at different levels. For example, they relate to the social robots’ features, or relate to organisational factors or external policies. A scoping review was conducted to understand the barriers and facilitators to the implementationA set of planned, intentional activities that aim to put into practice evidence-informed policies and practices in real-world services (see www.implementation.eu) of social robots for older adults and people living with dementia. 53 studies were included in this review. Most existing studies have disproportionately focused on understanding barriers and facilitators relating to the social robots, such as their ease of use. However, there is significantly less research that has been conducted to understand organisational factors or wider contextual factors that can affect their implementationA set of planned, intentional activities that aim to put into practice evidence-informed policies and practices in real-world services (see www.implementation.eu) in real-world practice. Future research should pay more attention to investigating the contextual factors, using an implementationA set of planned, intentional activities that aim to put into practice evidence-informed policies and practices in real-world services (see www.implementation.eu) framework, to identify barriers and facilitators on different levels to guide the further implementationA set of planned, intentional activities that aim to put into practice evidence-informed policies and practices in real-world services (see www.implementation.eu) of social robots.
Themes
Barriers and facilitators Implementation Implementation research Older adults Pet robots Social robots
Target groups
Dementia care organisations (nursing homes & day care centres) Dementia researchers Healthcare professionals Social robot designers/developersType of evidence
Collaborators: Simone Felding (DISTINCT ESR4), Beliz Budak (DISTINCT ESR15)
Scoping review
References
Koh, W. Q., Felding, S. A., Budak, K. B., Toomey, E., & Casey, D. (2021). Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of social robots for older adults and people with dementia: a scoping review. BMC geriatrics, 21(1), 1-17. https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-021-02277-9
As training manager of INDUCT, I am responsible for the overall coordination and organization of the individual and network-wide training of our 15 ESRs. My main task is the organization of five INDUCT Summer and Winter Schools. Together with the local and management team, we identify needs and interests among the ESRs, compose a varied program for the week including training sessions, project meetings and social and networking events, invite academic and non-academic expert speakers, organize practical matters, and afterwards we evaluate the event, write a report, and try to incorporate all suggestions in our future training events.