Nursing and caregiving is a discipline of knowledge and practice focused on providing patient-centered care. Alarmingly, the U.S. is experiencing a dire nursing shortage. According to the Bureau of Labor, the U.S. healthcare sector has lost approximately half a million workers (including nurses) since February 2020. This alarming and dire nursing shortage is projected to worsen in the next decade. Concurrently, the burden on caregivers and nursing professionals is increasing due to an aging population and a rising prevalence of diseases. As a result, nurses have limited time for patient-centered care. 

Robotic technology has the potential to support nurses and caregivers in tasks, allowing them to spend more time on patient care and improving patient health outcomes. At the same time, the introduction of robots also brings forth several areas of concerns such as the increase in nursing workload due to required training and maintenance to use these complex systems. 

The Workshop on Robotics for Nursing explores an emerging interdisciplinary research area focusing on the application of robotics technology for nursing and caregiving. This workshop will explore the unique challenges and opportunities in nursing robotics, distinct from other fields within medical robotics such as surgical, assistive, or rehabilitation robotics, through talks and panel discussions.