Facing high staff turnover and an aging population, nursing homes are increasingly turning to robots to complete a variety of care tasks, but few researchers have examined how these technologies affect workers and quality of care.
A new study by University of Notre Dame experts on the future of work finds that the use of robots is associated with increased employment and employee retention, increased productivity and improved quality of care. This research has important implications for the workplace and the long-term care industry.
Yong Suk Lee, associate professor of technology, economics and global affairs at the Notre Dame Keough School of Global Affairs, was lead author of the study published in Labor Economics. Most research on robots in the workplace has focused on the manufacturing and industrial sectors, but Lee’s research breaks new ground by analyzing long-term care and looking at the different types of robots used in this environment. Researchers used surveys conducted among Japanese nursing homes in 2020 and 2022.
“Our research focused on Japan because it is a hyper-aging society and provides a good example of what the future might entail elsewhere, with a declining population, increasing proportion of elderly people, and declining working-age population.” said. “We must prepare for this new reality.”
For example, according to the National Council on Aging, more than 57 million U.S. residents will be age 65 or older in 2022. The Census Bureau predicts this number will increase to 88.5 million by 2050.
Impact on Workers
In a future where there are more elderly people needing care, using robots in a targeted way could benefit both workers and patients, Lee said. This study analyzed three types of robots that are increasingly being used in assisted living facilities.
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transfer robotIt is used by nurses to lift, move and rotate patients around the bed and room.
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mobile robotIt is used by patients to move around and bathe.
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Monitoring and communication robotsThis includes technologies such as computer vision and bed sensors that can monitor patient data, such as movement, and share it with medical staff.
“We found that introducing robots complemented caregivers by reducing attrition rates,” Lee said. “This is important because turnover is a big concern in nursing homes. Workers typically experience a lot of physical pain, especially in the knees and back. The work is hard and the wages are low. So the use of robots is relevant to staff retention.”
Robot use has been linked to an overall increase in employment, but the trend appears to have helped some workers more than others, Lee said. This is associated with increased demand for part-time, less experienced workers and decreased demand for more experienced workers.
Improve patient care
Studies have shown that patients benefit from facilities that use robots. The nursing homes studied by Lee’s team reported a decrease in the use of patient restraints and a decrease in bedsores, or bedsores, commonly suffered by nursing home residents, largely due to lack of mobility. Both metrics are widely used in the long-term care industry to measure patient outcomes, Lee said.
Lee said robots could remove the physical strain associated with certain tasks, making space for caregivers to focus on tasks better suited to humans.
“Robots can improve productivity by transforming tasks performed by caregivers into tasks that involve human touch, empathy and dexterity,” Lee said. “Ultimately, robots can help workers provide a higher level of patient care.”
“This research provides important insights into how society can successfully address the challenges of caring for our aging population.”
future of work
Lee co-authored the study with Toshiaki Iizuka of the University of Tokyo and Karen Eggleston of Stanford University. The research received funding from the Stanford Shorenstein Center for Asia-Pacific Studies, the Japan Fund for the Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies at Kio University, and the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. research.
This latest research fits into Lee’s ongoing work to examine how new technologies, including artificial intelligence and robotics, will impact inequality and the future of work. Lee chairs the Technology Ethics Program at the Institute for Ethics and Public Interest, a core component of the Notre Dame Ethics Initiative. He is also a professor at the Keough School’s McKenna Center for Human Development and Global Business and a professor at the school’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies, Pulte Institute for Global Development, and Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.
“This study provides important insights into how society can successfully address the challenges of caring for our aging population,” Lee said. “This will provide insight into the workings of the long-term care industry and help us better understand how technology impacts workers and patients.”
