Ethical Aspects of the Use of Social Robots in Elderly Care -- A Systematic Qualitative Review
Journal:
arXiv
Published Date:
May 14, 2025
Abstract
Background: The use of social robotics in elderly care is increasingly
discussed as one way of meeting emerging care needs due to scarce resources.
While many potential benefits are associated with robotic care technologies,
there is a variety of ethical challenges. To support steps towards a
responsible implementation and use, this review develops an overview on ethical
aspects of the use of social robots in elderly care from a decision-makers'
perspective.
Methods: Electronic databases were queried using a comprehensive search
strategy based on the key concepts of "ethical aspects", "social robotics" and
"elderly care". Abstract and title screening was conducted by two authors
independently. Full-text screening was conducted by one author following a
joint consolidation phase. Data was extracted using MAXQDA24 by one author,
based on a consolidated coding framework. Analysis was performed through
modified qualitative content analysis.
Results: A total of 1,518 publications were screened, and 248 publications
were included. We have organized our analysis in a scheme of ethical hazards,
ethical opportunities and unsettled questions, identifying at least 60 broad
ethical aspects affecting three different stakeholder groups. While some
ethical issues are well-known and broadly discussed our analysis shows a
plethora of potentially relevant aspects, often only marginally recognized,
that are worthy of consideration from a practical perspective.
Discussion: The findings highlight the need for a contextual and detailed
evaluation of implementation scenarios. To make use of the vast knowledge of
the ethical discourse, we hypothesize that decision-makers need to understand
the specific nature of this discourse to be able to engage in careful ethical
deliberation.
