SynthesisJournal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing2025
Effectiveness of Group Interventions With Socially-Assistive Robots for Older Adults: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Exploring Emotional Attachment to Socially Assistive Robots: A Qualitative Study Among Older Adults.Nursing & health sciences · 2026Article
- Service Robots as Work Support for Health Personnel in Long-Term Care: Protocol for a Scoping Review.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Vision-Based Person-Following Algorithm for Assistive Elderly-Care Quadruped Robots.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Efficacy of artificial agents in loneliness alleviation among older adults: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionSocially assistive robots (SARs) have been used in group interventions for older adults; however, their effectiveness remains unclear. This systematic review aimed to synthesize evidence on the efficacy of group interventions with SARs on various outcomes (physical, cognitive, psychological, quality of life, therapeutic engagement, and sociality) for older adults, and the factors that influence their effectiveness. DESIGN AND
methodA literature search was conducted using five databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and MEDLINE) in October 2024. The research team selected and analyzed the studies applying a narrative synthesis.
resultsIn all, 25 articles were identified, 15 of which were deemed of good quality. We found that companion robots are commonly used in group interventions for older adults that consist of physical, cognitive, and combined physical and cognitive activities. Insufficient evidence was identified on the effectiveness of physical interventions and groups with physical and cognitive activities on health outcomes (i.e., physical, cognitive, psychological, and quality of life). Regarding the cognitive group interventions, positive physical outcomes (i.e., improved sleep quality, decreased pulse rate, and increased pulse oximetry), improved cognitive function, positive psychological outcomes (i.e., decreased agitation, depression, anxiety, and loneliness, and increased positive emotions) were found; however, the positive effects in terms of cognitive level and certain psychological outcomes were comparable to the control groups. Mixed results were reported for quality of life in older adults. Across the three types of interventions, robots facilitated engagement and increased the sociality of most older adults. The effectiveness depended on the cognitive function of the older adults, the presence of staff, the type of robot, and the schedule of the interventions.
conclusionResearch gaps have been identified, and more rigorous studies investigating the effectiveness of different types of group interventions in older adults are needed before applying SARs in group interventions on a large scale. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Given the importance of group interventions in nursing care of older adults, healthcare professionals can use socially assistive robots in such interventions to assist in caring for older adults.
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