Haru in the Care Network: Stakeholder Perspectives on Privacy with Social Robots in Pediatrics

Abstract

Social robots are beginning to be utilized as part of the collective networks supporting pediatric treatment, however there are few studies on children's perceptions of these agents in hospitals from a privacy and safety perspective. Through a mixed-method and value-sensitive design approach, we introduced hypothetical vignettes and engaged in discussion with 15 youth who are either receiving cancer treatments or are in remission (ages 6-25), 11 of their parents, and 5 out of 8 of their clinical staff to learn how stakeholders in pediatric oncology discuss privacy concerns regarding child-robot interactions. Our thematic analysis imparts how stakeholders perceive robots as social, non-authoritative extensions of the hospital's care network. From this privacy-sensitive perspective, this study revealed that for maximizing a robot's social utility within care systems while critically engaging with the comfort and privacy preferences of stakeholders, robots should take on the role of 1) mediators of social interaction among various stakeholders, 2) companions for children and 3) informational tools for clinicians when consent is given by the family. We emphasize how assistive technologies in pediatrics should continue to be co-designed within communities for identifying appropriate roles and returning agency to stakeholders as they navigate the blurry boundaries of privacy in healthcare.