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The acceptance of a language support system by nursing staff
At the end of a working day, nursing staff have covered several kilometers. They would like to avoid some trips. Voice assistants could help with this. When the light goes on in the ward, no one initially knows what's going on: an emergency call, someone who needs help getting up, or just a patient who wants coffee? If patients in hospitals and nursing homes used a voice assistant, nursing staff could save themselves many trips. And an assistant could also take over many annoying tasks, for example when it comes to documentation. But is that what nurses want? Would you trust such a system? The “dexter” project addresses these questions...
The acceptance of a language support system by nursing staff
At the end of a working day, nursing staff have covered several kilometers. They would like to avoid some trips. Voice assistants could help with this.
When the light goes on in the ward, no one initially knows what's going on: an emergency call, someone who needs help getting up, or just a patient who wants coffee? If patients in hospitals and nursing homes used a voice assistant, nursing staff could save themselves many trips. And an assistant could also take over many annoying tasks, for example when it comes to documentation. But is that what nurses want? Would you trust such a system? The “dexter” project at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) is investigating these questions. Rubin, the RUB's science magazine, reports on their research.
Related to Alexa, but data protection compliant
The voice assistance system dexter, tailored by a project partner, is, like its relatives Alexa, Siri and Co., a smart speaker, but it complies with data protection regulations. Activated by a code word, it can, for example, establish a voice connection between the patient's room and the ward. It could suggest a priority to the nursing staff when multiple requests are received from multiple rooms. It could step in as a translator when communication between staff and patients is difficult due to language barriers. Or it helps with documentation directly at the bedside using spoken statements, which takes a lot of time in everyday hospital life.
“The possibilities are endless,” concludes Professor Sebastian Merkel. The junior professor for health and e-health at the RUB Faculty of Social Sciences and his team want to know: Which options make sense? What do nurses want? Do patients and residents of nursing homes accept the system?
Surprisingly few reservations
Merkel and his team held several workshops with nursing staff to discuss their ideas and wishes for a language support system that complies with data protection regulations.
There is a widespread narrative that nurses tend to generally reject such technology because they see their work as a nursing profession and feel that technology interferes with that aspect.”
Professor Sebastian Merkel, Junior Professor for Health and E-Health, Faculty of Social Sciences at RUB
That's why the researchers were surprised by the results of the workshops: "The participants had very few reservations about a language assistance system," says the researcher. First and foremost, the nursing staff would like support with documentation. Secondly, they mentioned assistance with exercises in therapy or rehabilitation. In the next step, the researchers want to examine the interaction patterns between humans and devices.
Source:
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