Assessing Technological Complexity and the Necessity of Physical Presence for Effective Exercise Support in an Acute Geriatric Ward: A Design Thinking Approach

The objective of this study was to identify technological solutions that could assist healthcare professionals in promoting physical activity and exercise among geriatric patients and to reinforce the behavioural changes initiated by healthcare professionals, with the aim of enhancing the overall therapeutic outcomes. A design thinking strategy was employed to guide the investigation. Initially, a field test was conducted to assess the necessity and effectiveness of the physical presence of robots in therapeutic interactions. Three technological solutions were subjected to testing: a Pepper robot, a mobile avatar, and a stationary avatar. The findings indicated that while Pepper was the most favoured by patients, its physical presence did not offer significant benefits over the avatars, given the higher costs and the challenges posed by the hospital environment. The findings of the field test informed the two subsequent design thinking workshops. The workshops were conducted by multidisciplinary teams comprising healthcare professionals with expertise in geriatric care, physiotherapy students, robotics engineers, and human factors engineers. The design thinking workshops yielded a variety of innovative solutions, which emphasised the importance of continuous patient monitoring and the ability to position the solution within the patient’s field of view. Subsequently, the solutions generated during the workshops were subjected to evaluation by the same multidisciplinary team. The evaluation process indicated that the optimal and most feasible solution was an avatar displayed on a screen, mounted on an actively movable robot arm attached to the wall. The findings of this study offer valuable insights into the potential use of technological solutions in promoting physical activity and exercise among geriatric patients in acute care hospitals. Future research should concentrate on validating these findings through larger-scale studies. This should include an examination of the long-term impacts of avatar-based interactions on patient health and recovery, as well as an investigation of the ethical implications and privacy concerns associated with continuous patient monitoring.