The impact of humanoid robot presence in the paediatric emergency department waiting room: A prospective cohort study

Background The waiting room represents families’ first point of contact with the emergency department (ED). We wished to study if a humanoid robot technology presence in the waiting room would improve satisfaction and decrease anxiety for caregivers in the paediatric ED. Methods This observational cohort study was conducted from September to December 2018 at a Canadian paediatric ED. All caregivers and children >11 years in the ED waiting room were eligible. We compared a robotic intervention (RI) to standard of care (SOC) education in the waiting room. The RI was a 5-minute psychoeducational program describing the ED process and flow. Specific days were designated for RI or SOC. An anonymous survey was administered twice, at the same times, on both SOC and RI days. The primary outcomes were (a) caregiver satisfaction with waiting room experience using a 5-point Likert scale; and (b) caregiver-reported anxiety in the waiting room, as measured by the State Trait Anxiety Inventory – State Scale. Results Six hundred and thirty-three caregivers participated, with a median age of 37 years (IQR 32 to 42); 80 children participated, with a median age of 15 years (IQR 13 to 16). Caregivers reported greater overall satisfaction in the RI cohort (174/200, 87.0%) compared to the SOC cohort (144/229, 62.9%; P<0.0001). Caregivers also reported lower anxiety in the RI cohort (39.38±11.38) compared to the SOC cohort (42.04±11.99; P=0.009). Conclusions A humanoid robot-based psycho educational intervention in the paediatric ED waiting room has a positive impact on caregiver satisfaction and anxiety.