Formal caregivers’ perceptions and experiences of using pet robots for persons living with dementia in long‐term care: A meta‐ethnography

Abstract

Aim: To explore the formal caregivers’ perceptions and experiences of using pet robots for persons living with dementia residing in long‐term care settings and the factors influencing their perceptions by evaluating, integrating, and synthesizing findings from relevant international research articles using a meta‐ethnography. Design: Noblit and Hare's interpretative meta‐ethnography. Data sources: Eight articles, published between 2013–2018, were identified following a systematic search of four databases (Scopus, ProQuest Central, EBSCO, and Google Scholar) between June 2019–February 2020. Review methods: Two researchers independently appraised the selected articles. Noblit and Hare's seven steps and a meta‐ethnography reporting guidance were used. Reciprocal translation was used to obtain a line of argument synthesis. Results: Three overarching themes were identified: a beneficial tool but not for everybody, a tool that has limitations but could be overcome, and a positive experience if appropriately introduced and sustained. Conclusion: This meta‐ethnography contributes to the understanding of current potential benefits and limitations of pet robots for persons living with dementia residing in long‐term settings. It also identifies several factors, as perceived by caregivers, that may influence their acceptability, adoption, and routine use in practice. Impact: Although for the past two decades pet robots have been used as a psychosocial intervention for persons living with dementia in long‐term care settings, there is a dearth of literature on the perception of formal caregivers and their experience of such interventions. While pet robots can have emotional, social, behavioural, and practical benefits, there are several technological, organizational, and contextual challenges and limitations that constrain their routine use. The solutions synthesized in this review can be of benefit to robot designers, facility managers, policy makers, and other health care professionals interested in introducing pet robots in long‐term care settings.