Abstract
Background: Health systems face rising pressures from ageing populations, complex care needs, workforce burnout, and persistent nursing shortages. Robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) are emerging as potential supports; however, without clear policies, preparation, and nurse involvement, deployment risks being unsafe, inequitable, and poorly aligned with real-world care.
Aim: To advocate for the responsible, equitable, and ethical integration of robots in nursing practice by aligning action across policy, education, and research, and by situating this agenda within the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 3, 4, 8, 9, and 10).
Approach/Actions: Our approach is to align policy, education, research, and partnerships to drive responsible, person-centred use of robots in nursing. This means establishing clear standards and funding pathways; embedding digital health and robotics in curricula and CPD; generating practice-relevant evidence on readiness, safety, and ethics; and partnering with patients, industry, and international networks (e.g., Sigma) to ensure nurses’ insights shape design and deployment. Together, these strands enable safe, equitable, evidence-based adoption.
Expected Impact: Safer, evidence-based adoption; improved nurse confidence and capability; reduced fear and resistance; and policies that balance innovation with ethics—contributing to resilient, tech-enabled health systems and better patient outcomes.
Conclusion: Nurses must be central to technology decision-making. Robotics should augment, not replace, professional nursing, advancing person-centred, high-quality care through coordinated policy, education, research, and partnership.
Sigma Membership
Omega Epsilon at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Descriptive/Correlational
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Robots, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Nursing Practice
Recommended Citation
Adeyemo, Aminat A.; Jones, Nancy S. Ferrell; and Tam, Hon Lon, "Nursing the Future: Advocating for Equitable and Ethical Use of Robots in Nursing Practice" (2025). Global Advocacy. 15.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/ga_series/15
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
None: Event Material, Invited Presentation
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-10-13
Full Text of Presentation
wf_yes
Description
The author was a participant in Global Advocacy, Sigma's virtual mini academy during the September/October 2025 cohort. This submission represents the academy's required Action Plan Presentation which occurs in week six of the program.