“Hé James” A study on the use of a social assistive humanoid robot in paediatric patients during post-operative tonsillectomy treatments

Studies show that social assistive humanoid robots (SAHRs) can positively affect a person's behaviour, well-being, physiological parameters, social contacts, cognitions, and quality of life (QoL). However, the effectiveness of SAHRs in healthcare has been generally unspecified due to feasibility issues and safety concerns. Distracting children from painful and/or fearful stimuli has been shown to have positive effects on patient participation during treatment and health-related outcomes, and is something that can be performed by a SAHR. This study will test a SAHR in a hospital setting in terms of safety, feasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness to determine if a SAHR can improve the performance of a post-tonsillectomy treatment.