Collaborative Research: FW-HTF-R: The Future of Robot-Assisted Nursing: Interactive AI Frameworks for Upskilling Nurses and Customizing Robot Assistance

人类技术前沿项目的未来工作的具体目标是：(1)促进融合研究，采用计算机科学、工程学、学习科学、教育和劳动力培训研究以及社会、行为和经济科学的共同观点、方法和知识；(2)鼓励发展一个研究团体，致力于设计智能技术、工作组织和模式，其灵感来自于智能技术对个体劳动者、手头工作、人们学习和适应技术变革的方式、创造性和支持性工作场所（包括远程地点、家庭、教室或虚拟空间）的积极影响，以及不同规模的社会、经济和环境系统的效益；(3)促进对相互依赖的人类技术伙伴关系的更深入的基本理解，通过推进与人类工人和谐运行的智能工作技术的设计，包括考虑成年人如何学习与这些技术在工作场所相互作用所需的新技能，以及通过实现广泛的劳动力参与，包括改善身体或认知障碍人士的可及性，来推进社会需求；(4)理解、预测和探索减轻未来在人类技术前沿工作中产生的潜在风险的方法。护理是一门知识和实践的学科，专注于提供以患者为中心的护理。注册护士作为每周7天、每天24小时与住院患者在一起的医疗保健提供者，对于确保患者安全和提供以患者为中心的护理至关重要。然而，令人担忧的是，美国正在经历严重的护士短缺，预计在未来十年中将严重恶化。因此，护士以病人为中心的护理时间有限。为了继续提供高质量的患者护理，医疗保健领导者正在争先恐后地寻找解决方案，通常求助于人工智能（AI）和机器人等技术辅助。一方面，人工智能机器人助手有潜力支持护士完成一些日常任务，使他们能够花更多的时间照顾病人，改善病人的治疗效果。另一方面，机器人的引入也带来了几个令人担忧的领域，例如由于需要培训和维护使用这些复杂系统而增加护理工作量。该规划项目将制定一个多学科的研究议程，系统地向护士介绍人工智能机器人技术，目标是确保机器人在未来护理领域的整合带来长期的积极影响。机器人助手在护理工作流程中的无缝集成需要(a)仔细科学地研究机器人对护理工作量的影响，(b)设计以护士为中心的定制机器人辅助框架，以及(c)持续发展护士培训内容和实践。为了制定一个扩大这些重点的研究议程，该项目将涉及三个主要规划活动。首先，该项目将通过研讨会和利益相关者会议将技术专家、医疗保健专业人员、社会科学家和教育工作者聚集在一起。这些会议将促进跨学科合作和形成一个融合的研究小组。其次，通过参与式设计，项目团队将创建一个机器人辅助护理的测试平台，在这个平台上，多个学科可以集思广益、原型化和评估机器人辅助护理的解决方案。第三，项目团队将使用测试平台生成初步数据，以评估机器人助手对护理工作量的影响。数据收集将在不同经验的护士志愿者的帮助下进行，并在模拟和物理环境相结合的情况下进行。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The specific objectives of the Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier program are (1) to facilitate convergent research that employs the joint perspectives, methods, and knowledge of computer science, engineering, learning sciences, research on education and workforce training, and social, behavioral, and economic sciences; (2) to encourage the development of a research community dedicated to designing intelligent technologies and work organization and modes inspired by their positive impact on individual workers, the work at hand, the way people learn and adapt to technological change, creative and supportive workplaces (including remote locations, homes, classrooms, or virtual spaces), and benefits for social, economic, and environmental systems at different scales; (3) to promote deeper basic understanding of the interdependent human-technology partnership to advance societal needs by advancing design of intelligent work technologies that operate in harmony with human workers, including consideration of how adults learn the new skills needed to interact with these technologies in the workplace, and by enabling broad workforce participation, including improving accessibility for those challenged by physical or cognitive impairment; and (4) to understand, anticipate, and explore ways of mitigating potential risks arising from future work at the human-technology frontier.Nursing is a discipline of knowledge and practice focused on delivering patient-centered care. As the healthcare providers who are with hospitalized patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, registered nurses are crucial for ensuring patient safety and delivering patient-centered care. Alarmingly, however, the U.S. is experiencing a dire nursing shortage, which is projected to significantly worsen in the next decade. As a result, nurses have limited time for patient-centered care. To continue providing high-quality patient care, healthcare leaders are scrambling for solutions, often turning to technological aids such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robots. On one hand, AI-enabled robotic assistants hold the potential to support nurses in some routine tasks, allowing them to spend more time on patient care and improving patient outcomes. On the other hand, the introduction of robots also brings forth several areas of concerns such as increase in nursing workload due to required training and maintenance to use these complex systems. This planning project will develop a multi-disciplinary research agenda to systematically introduce nurses to AI-enabled robotics technology, with the goal of ensuring that the integration of robots in the future of nursing brings long-term positive impact.Seamless integration of robotic assistants in the nursing workflow requires (a) careful scientific study of the impact of robots on nursing workload, (b) design of nurse-centered frameworks for customizing robotic assistance, and (c) continued development of nurse training content and practices. To develop a research agenda that expands on these thrusts, the project will involve three main planning activities. First, the project will bring together technologists, healthcare professionals, social scientists, and educators through workshops and stakeholder meetings. These meetings will facilitate cross-disciplinary collaborations and formation of a convergent research team. Second, through participatory design, the project team will create a testbed for robot-assisted nursing, where multiple disciplines can brainstorm, prototype, and evaluate solutions for robot-assisted nursing. Third, the project team will use the testbed for generating preliminary data to assess the impact of robotic assistants on nursing workload. The data collection will be conducted with the help of nurse volunteers of varied experience, and in a combination of simulated and physical environments.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.