Faced with high employee turnover and an aging population, nursing homes have increasingly turned to robots to complete a variety of care tasks, but few researchers have explored how these technologies impact workers and the quality of care. .
A new study from a University of Notre Dame future of work expert finds that the use of robots is associated with increased employment and employee retention, higher productivity, and higher quality of care. The research has important implications for the workplace and long-term care industry.
Yong Suk Lee, associate professor of technology, economics and global affairs at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, was lead author of the study, published in Labor Economics. Most studies on robots in the workplace have focused on manufacturing and the industrial sector, but Lee’s research broke new ground by looking at long-term care and looking at the different types of robots used in this environment. . The researchers relied on surveys of Japanese nursing homes conducted in 2020 and 2022.
“Our research focused on Japan because it is a super-aged society that provides a good example of what the future might entail elsewhere: a declining population, a growing proportion of older people, and a shrinking proportion of old people. to work,” Lee said. saying. “We need to be prepared for this new reality.”
In 2022, for example, more than 57 million U.S. residents were age 65 or older, according to the National Council on Aging. The Census Bureau predicts that by 2050, this number will increase to 88.5 million.
The impact on workers
In a future with more seniors requiring care, the use of robots specifically could benefit both workers and patients, Lee said. The study looked at three types of robots that are increasingly used in assisted living facilities:
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Transfer robotswhich nurses use to lift, move and rotate patients in beds and rooms.
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Mobility robotsthat patients use to move and bathe.
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Monitoring and communication robots.including technologies such as computer vision and bed sensors that can monitor patient data, such as movement, and share it with care providers.
“We found that the adoption of robots complements healthcare workers by reducing attrition rates,” Lee said. “This is important because turnover is a big concern in nursing homes. Workers often experience a lot of physical pain, especially in their knees and back. The work is hard and the pay is low. Hence the use of robots was associated with employee retention.”
While the use of robots was associated with an overall increase in employment, Lee said, the trend appears to have helped some workers more than others: It was associated with greater demand for part-time, less experienced employees and lower demand. of more experienced workers.
Improving patient care
Patients benefited in facilities that have used robots, according to the study. The nursing homes Lee’s team studied reported a decline in the use of restraints for patients and in the pressure ulcers or bedsores that nursing home residents often suffer from, largely due to a lack of mobility. Both metrics are widely used in the long-term care industry to measure patient outcomes, Lee said.
By removing the physical strain associated with certain tasks, Lee said, robots may have made room for care workers to focus on tasks more suited to humans.
“Robots can improve productivity by shifting tasks performed by healthcare workers to those that involve human contact, empathy and dexterity,” Lee said. “Ultimately, robots can help workers provide a higher level of patient care.”
“This research provides critical insights into how societies can successfully address the challenges of caring for aging populations.”
The future of work
Lee co-authored the study with Toshiaki Iizuka of the University of Tokyo and Karen Eggleston of Stanford University. The study received funding from Stanford’s Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, the Japan Fund of Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, as well as the Liu Institute of Asia and Asian Studies at Stanford. Keough School and the Kellogg Institute of International Studies. Studies.
This latest research fits into Lee’s ongoing work to examine how new technologies, including artificial intelligence and robotics, affect inequality and the future of work. Lee serves as chair of the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good’s technology ethics program, a key element of the Notre Dame Ethics Initiative. He is also a faculty member at the Keough School’s McKenna Center for Human Development and Global Business and a faculty member at the Kellogg Institute of International Studies, the Pulte Institute for Global Development, and the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies at the Keough School. school.
“This research provides critical insights into how societies can successfully address the challenges of caring for aging populations,” Lee said. “It will help inform the work of the long-term care industry and help us better understand how technologies impact workers and patients.”