Preparing health and social care workers to work with socially assistive artificially intelligent robots in health and social care environments. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Preparing health and social care workers to work with socially assistive artificially intelligent robots in health and social care environments.

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Research and innovation; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

Healthcare and social care providers are called to embrace smart technologies and the use of Artificial intelligence (AI) and social robotics in order to adapt in the current challenges of an ageing population and workforce shortages. In order to harness the power that AI has to offer, difficult medical challenges need to be addressed as well as societal barriers towards the adoption of such technologies in health and social care. Research also suggests that cultural change and addressing the reluctance and scepticism from the care workforce on the ability of AI and robotics to assist them in their role rather than being a threat to their jobs, needs to be recognised as a priority. The literature reviews conducted by my research centre (RCTSH) during 2018-19 indicated the current global absence of any professional learning and training programmes in health and social care that offer care workers and students the opportunity to explore and integrate awareness of the technologies that are, or may soon be deployed in care settings. The health and social care workforce needs to be trained, learn new skills and achieve new competencies. In 2019 we also conducted a number of in-depth interviews with individuals working in social care who have had some exposure to AI humanoid robot in their working environment in the UK; early indications have revealed suggestions for staff training.
Based on this evidence -and any other which will become available during the first year of the project’s timescale- the proposed project will aim to produce learning materials which will be suitable for health and social care workers and educators not only within the partnership of this project but also internationally. We will embed the materials in a MOOC course (massive open access online course) which the project will pilot and then deliver over a period of five weeks. This is an ideal way to include individuals who otherwise would not have (or could not afford) opportunities to learn and engage with others – from different parts of Europe and the world – on this topic.
The MOOC will be on Transcultural Robotics Nursing*(TRN), a term coined by the CARESSES project which I was a member of for the last three years. The CARESSES project produced the first culturally competent AI robot. Transcultural Robotics Nursing will enable us to develop a course that combines the main topic of the IENE programme (Intercultural education) with AI robotics in health and social care. The whole of the IENE programme (the previous 9 projects) as well as Transcultural Robotics Nursing were underpinned by the Papadopoulos theory on transcultural health and nursing which is operationalised through the Papadopoulos, Tilki and Taylor (PTT) model (1998, revised by Papadopoulos in 2006). Whilst each project within the IENE programme has a unique area of work, the PTT model provides the cultural lens and framework for the systematic development of the course, an important consideration in a multicultural world.

*Transcultural Robotics Nursing is defined as the ability of a robot to recognise a person’s cultural values, beliefs, attitudes and self-care practices regarding their health and illness, and respond with compassion in a culturally sensitively and appropriate way. The new field of TRN explores the need for (trans) culturally competent robots in health and social care, addresses the various implications of the deployment of culturally competent robots for patients and the workforce include the urgent need for training.

Please note that the term ‘nursing’ used throughout this application refers to the provision of care by qualified and unqualified nurses in hospitals and the community as well as the care provided by care workers in care homes and the community. It also refers to those who train /educate the caregivers, those who manage care-giving services and those who are involved in policy making for care-giving services.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 213455 Eur

Project Coordinator

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY HIGHER EDUCATION CORPORATION & Country: UK

Project Partners

• TECHNOLOGIKO PANEPISTIMIO KYPROU
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVA
• UNIVERSITY OF BEDFORDSHIRE
• FACHHOCHSCHULE VORARLBERG GMBH
• Asociatia EDUNET